Treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphomas with PUVA

A series of 39 patients with CTCL was treated with PUVA over a period of 5 years, comprising 6 patients in stage IA, 13 in stage IB, 15 in stage IIA and 5 in stage IIB. PUVA treatments were administered four times weekly until clearing; a maintenance therapy employed 2 to 1 exposures per week for 2 months. Complete clinical and histological examinations were taken. We obtained a complete remission in all stage IA patients, and a partial remission in stage IB and IIA patients, who required longer treatment schedules and more frequent maintenance therapy. Stage IIB patients required additional local and/or systemic therapy to achieve a partial remission. Recurrences were observed in 33% stage IA patients, in 84% stage IB patients and in all stage IIA and IIB patients. They responded to new induction phases only in early-stage CTCL. PUVA is well accepted by patients, and compares well with other treatments.