Successful Treatment of Refractory Vitiligo with a Combination of Khellin and 308-nm Excimer Lamp: An Open-Label, 1-Year Prospective Study

INTRODUCTION Phototherapy is the cornerstone of treatment of vitiligo. The 308-nm excimer lamp (EL) induces T cell apoptosis and the stimulation of melanocyte proliferation. Khellin is a furanochromone with a chemical structure close to psoralens. The objective of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 1-year treatment of recalcitrant vitiligo with a combination of 308-nm EL and khellin. METHODS Twenty patients with resistant vitiligo were included. Khellin was applied 45 min before irradiation with EL, twice a week, at a dose of 250 mJ/cm2. The repigmentation was assessed in four categories: excellent repigmentation (ER) (> 75% repigmentation), good repigmentation (GR) (50-75% repigmentation), moderate repigmentation (MR) (25-50% repigmentation), and poor repigmentation (PR) (< 25% repigmentation). RESULTS An ER was observed in 45% of patients (9/20), 5/20 (25%) achieved a GR, 3/20 (15%) an MR, and 3/20 (15%) a PR. Better response was observed on the face, neck, upper limb, hands, and abdomen. The mean number of procedures was 54.1 and the mean cumulative dose was 2967.5 mJ/cm2. Six months after the last session no recurrences were observed. CONCLUSION The combination of 308-nm EL and khellin is a safe and effective treatment and represents a new alternative therapy for vitiligo. Further comparative controlled randomized investigations are needed to confirm these promising results with the appropriate therapeutic protocols.