Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that mostly affects the genital and anal skin areas. LS can be asymptomatic or accompanied by symptoms, for example progressive pruritis, pain, sexual dysfunction and thus, a reduced quality of life (QoL). 1,2 LS occurs at all ages and in both sexes, whereby the male-to-female ratio ranges between 1:3 and 1:10. The exact prevalence is unclear; however, vulvar LS has been found to affect one in 70 women presenting to a general gynaecology practice. 1 The incidence of histologically proven LS in women was 14.6 per 100.000 woman-years in 2011 in the Netherlands. Noticeably, approximately 5% of all women affected by LS will develop vulvar squamous cell carcinoma, for which both LS and differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN) are additional risk factors. 3,4 Although the aetiology of LS is still unknown, it is hypothesized to be an autoimmune disorder with a genetic component. 3 Currently, treatment of LS is mainly initiated to relieve symptoms of pruritis and pain, to reduce the progression of the skin alterations and eventually decrease the risk of cancer. Conventional treatment of LS consists of local application of corticosteroids, for example clobetasol propionate. 5 In severe cases of therapy-resistant LS, immunosuppressive agents (e.g. calcineurin inhibitors) can be administered, which inhibit T-cell activation. [6][7][8] However, clinical evidence
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.