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Photosensitive drug eruption induced by flutamide
R Yokote1, Y Tokura, N Igarashi
1Department of Dermatology, National Takasaki Hospital, 36, Takamatsucho, Takasaki 370-0829, Japan yokoryu@mail.raidway.ne.jp
European Journal of Dermatology : EJD
|September 5, 1998
Summary
Flutamide caused a photosensitive drug eruption in a patient, significantly reducing the minimal erythema dose to UVA light. This suggests a non-photohaptenic mechanism may be responsible for flutamide-induced photosensitivity.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Photobiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Drug-induced photosensitivity is an adverse reaction to medications exposed to light.
- Flutamide, an antiandrogen medication, has been rarely associated with photosensitivity reactions.
Observation:
- A 68-year-old man developed a photosensitive drug eruption attributed to flutamide.
- Phototesting revealed a significantly decreased minimal erythema dose (MED) to ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation while on flutamide.
- MED to UVA returned to normal after discontinuing flutamide, with no change in ultraviolet B (UVB) reactivity.
Findings:
- Flutamide demonstrated photostability under UVA irradiation.
- No evidence of covalent photocoupling between flutamide and bovine serum albumin under UVA was observed.
- These results indicate flutamide has low photohaptenic potential.
Implications:
- The photosensitivity reaction to flutamide likely involves a non-photohaptenic mechanism.
- An active metabolite of flutamide may act as a photosensitizer.
- Clinicians should be aware of the potential for flutamide-induced photosensitivity and consider alternative mechanisms beyond photohapten formation.