Background/objectives: For patients with vulvovaginal lichen planus (VLP), there exists limited data on the comparison between patient quality of life treated with topical and/or systemic treatments. We characterised the treatment outcomes of VLP using the vulvar quality of life index (VQLI) comparing women treated with systemic immunosuppression, including humanised interleukin-23 monoclonal antibody tildrakizumab, to those treated with topical corticosteroids alone.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study is reported from a dermatology practice in Sydney, Australia. Electronic medical records for adult women with a diagnosis of VLP were reviewed identifying 112 subjects. VQLI scores in four domains (symptoms, activities of daily living, anxiety and sexual function) were compared between women able to maintain remission of disease with topical monotherapy to those with recalcitrant disease requiring treatment with conventional systemic immunosuppressants and for those not responding to this treatment, tildrakizumab.
Results: At baseline women requiring tildrakizumab treatment had the highest total VQLI score (24.6), whilst women whose disease was maintained on topical treatment had the lowest (19.2). Women treated whilst on tildrakizumab had significant reduced total mean VQLI scores (13.32, 95% CI 8.61-18.01) than when treated with other Systemic (22.00, 95% CI 16.52-27.53; p < 0.001) or topical (21.71, 95% CI 16.13-26.32; p < 0.01). Women treated with tildrakizumab demonstrated statistically significant decreases in mean VQLI scores in all four domains of the VQLI compared to previous scores when on other systemic treatments.
Conclusion: We report the largest cohort study to date of adult women with VLP evaluating treatment responses to topical and systemic agents using the VQLI. In women whose VLP did not improve with conventional systemic immunosuppressants, tildrakizumab resulted in statistically significant decrease in mean VQLI scores in all 4 domains, highlighting tildrakizumab as an alternative treatment for VLP.
Keywords: genital; lichen planus; mucosal lichen planus; tildrakizumab.
© 2023 Australasian College of Dermatologists.