Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2018-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a skin condition of the external genitals (vulva) of women. LS
causes vulvar itching, pain, and burning. In addition, LS causes scarring of the vulva which
may cause significant sexual dysfunction or pain. Lastly, 4-6% of women with LS will develop
vulvar cancer.
The current "gold standard" treatment for lichen sclerosus is potent steroids creams. When
used correctly, steroid creams help to decrease the symptoms of itching and burning and can
prevent further vulvar scarring. In addition, proper treatment reverses the underlying
inflammation of LS, and may lower the risk of getting cancer. While useful, steroid creams
may have serious side effects that include thinning of the skin, fungal infections, and
lowering the immune system.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a platelet concentrate that helps to speed up tissue healing,
without serious side effects, in a very wide range of medical conditions such as diabetic
foot ulcers, muscle injury, tendon injury, and in a variety of cosmetic procedures. The PRP
works because of its high level of proteins that help with wound healing. It is also apparent
from the majority of published studies that PRP therapy has minimal risk of scar tissue
formation or significant bad side effects.
Recently, there was an exploratory study of twelve subjects that used PRP for the study
treatment of lichen sclerosus. While this study showed good success, the study was limited
because of its small size and lack of placebo (a drug or study treatment that contains no
active ingredient) control.