PUVA for Psoriasis: May Increase Melanoma RiskPsoriasis is a chronic skin condition that can leave its victims with reddish, scaly and inflamed skin typically on the elbow, knees and scalp.  Sever psoriasis can affect the simple functions of daily living or work.  Psoriasis can cause emotion and physical stress.  The common treatments of psoriasis include cortisone creams, emollients, internal medication and sun exposure.  PUVA (psoralen and ultraviolet A radiation) is a treatment therapy that combines both internal medication and sun exposure.  It’s been used for over two decades to treat severe psoriasis.  While psoralen is taken internally to act as a skin sensitizer, the skin affected by psoriasis is treated by ultraviolet A radiation.  PUVA is a psoriasis treatment known to be highly effective for psoriasis sufferers, it allows them to resume normal daily lives.  However, recent studies that show long term PUVA may increase the risk of melanoma more than fivefold!



A recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine described a study of over 1,300 patients treated for psoriasis by PUVA therapy in 1975 and 76.  According to MedicineNet, Dr. Robert Stern and colleagues at Harvard Medical School found that about 15 years after the first PUVA treatment, the risk of malignant melanoma increased more than fivefold, with the greatest risk observed in patients who received 250 treatments or more.  A follow-up study by the same authors in 2001 published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2001 described additional melanomas in the original patient cohort that arose after the 1997 findings, further confirming this risk and indicating that the risk of melanoma increases with time in this patient population.

Although there is potential cancer risks PUVA is still a widely used and recommended treatment for sever psoriasis.  If you are receiving these treatments regularly it is imperative for you to be consistently monitored by your healthcare provider and inform them of any skin abnormalities right away.

[ Via  MedicineNet.com ]

Psoriasis, Dermatology
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