To Compare Inflammatory Biomarkers Before and After Treatment With Clobetasol or Fractional CO2 Laser, in Women With Histologically Confirmed Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus, Without Prior Corticosteroid Treatment.

Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus: Expression of Inflammatory Markers in a Randomized Clinical Trial With Clobetasol Versus Laser

The present study is a Clinical trial that compares clobetasol ointment versus Fractional CO2 laser for vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLE) treatment confirmed by histology, with no previous treatment. Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflamatory disease that affects the vulvar skin in the majority of cases, generally in peri and post menopause. The main symptom is pruritus, along with dispareunia and vulvar pain. If not treated, it can leads to vulvar anatomy distortion and altough small, there is risk of neoplastic transformation towards pre cancer and invasive vulvar cancer. Clobetasol ointment is the standard treatment, but prolonged use can cause some adverse effects, such as thinning the skin, fungal infections, and exacerbation of symptoms. Forty participants are being randomized to clobetasol group, three months with reducing frequency and the other group of participants, to fractional dioxid carbon (CO2) laser for three sessions four weeks apart. At the beggining and three months after the completion of each treatment, a punch biopsy will be taken for every participant. The principal aim is to compare some inflamatory biomarkers before and after each treatment and compare them by imunohistoquemestry at Imunology and Imunogenetic Laboratory in Fiocruz, Rio de janeiro, Brazil.

Secondary outcomes include clinical response and changes in vulvar anatomy, assessed using the Sheinis & Selk questionnaire before and after each treatment, as well as the evaluation of some clinical aspects, such as improvement in itching, dyspareunia and appearance of the vulva, along with satisfaction with the treatment, using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 1 to 10.

With this study, the investigators want to know if fractional CO2 laser can reduce the inflammatory process and symptoms in vulvar lichen sclerosus such as itching, and if this could be an alternative treatment for this condition.

Inclusion Criteria: Women older than 21 years; histological diagnostic of vulvar lichen sclerosus and no previous treatment with topic corticoesteroid

Exclusion Criteria: Women that don't agree in taking part of the study; other concomitant vulvar diseases; pre malignant vulvar disease HPV dependent and independent; previous pelvic radiotherapy

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