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Review
. 2016 Oct;12(10):1109-21.
doi: 10.1080/1744666X.2016.1188006. Epub 2016 Jun 1.

Therapeutic options for cutaneous lupus erythematosus: recent advances and future prospects

Joshua Chang  1   2 , Victoria P Werth  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Therapeutic options for cutaneous lupus erythematosus: recent advances and future prospects

Joshua Chang et al. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Treatment and prevention are of critical importance in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), as the disease can have a devastating effect on patient well-being and quality of life.

Areas covered: We conducted a selective search of the PubMed database for articles published between December 2010 and November 2015. This review encompasses both non-pharmaceutical (photoprotection, smoking cessation, drug withdrawal, and vitamin D replacement) and pharmaceutical (topicals, antimalarials, immunosuppressives, biologics, etc.) interventions used in the treatment of CLE. Expert Commentary: Recent work has expanded our understanding of established therapies as well as introduced new treatments for consideration, though existing medications still prove inadequate for a subset of patients. Changes in trial design may help to alleviate this issue.

Keywords: Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity IndexTM (CLASITM); Cutaneous lupus erythematosus; antimalarials; biologics; immunomodulators; immunosuppressives; topical calcineurin inhibitors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interests

The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cutaneous lupus erythematosus treatment algorithm. Treatment of mild or local disease begins with topical therapies, whereas treatment of severe or widespread disease begins with systemic therapies. If the response to therapy is inadequate, arrows indicate the direction of treatment progression. In many cases, combining therapies from multiple classes (e.g. first- and second-line systemic treatments) may be necessary. HCQ = hydroxychloroquine; QC = quinacrine; CQ = chloroquine; MTX = methotrexate; MMF = mycophenolate mofetil
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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