Virus Early Transcription Factor (VETF) Multicenter Phototherapy Protocol (VETF)

June 1, 2010 updated by: Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri

Continuative vs Sequential Phototherapy in Non-segmental Vitiligo Patients

Background

Phototherapy UVB TL01 currently represents the first choice in treatment to induce the repigmentation of vitiligo spots. The problem though is that there are no systems or scales which enable an objective evaluation of the therapy, commonly known as percentage of repigmentation.

Recently, a European Task Force (VETF, Vitiligo European Task Force) of experts on vitiligo, within the European Society of Pigmentation, has proposed a gravity classification on the basis of three parameters/standards - extension, progression and the level of depigmentation - and used to classify patients in ten European centres. The aim of the trial is to validate the VETF scoring system set up in relation with the therapeutic answer to the standard treatment for vitiligo and phototherapy.

Leaving aside short term side effects, such as sunrush/erythema and sunburn, which are reversible and infrequent, the main problem with phototherapy is represented by the cumulative long term effects of ultraviolet rays. These can cause premature ageing of the skin (photoaging) and the appearance of skin cancer/neoplasia. Therefore the aim is to get the best results from phototherapy whilst limiting its length.

Aims of the trial:

  1. To validate the VETF scoring system. As phototherapy is currently the only universally accepted treatment for vitiligo, it seems logical to test the VETF scoring system first to evaluate the effectiveness of phototherapy.
  2. Secondly, the target of this multicentric trial is to compare the effectiveness of two different phototherapy protocols; a first protocol foresees non-stop treatment for 6 months; a second protocol foresees periods of interruption during the treatment. This will help to verify whether interrupting a cycle of phototherapy is useful or not.

This interruption might make the ultraviolet rays more effective 'stimulus on the melanocytes', and may also reduce long term damage caused by phototherapy.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

200

Phase

  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

      • Rome, Italy, 00100
        • Recruiting
        • Istituto San Gallicano -
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 60 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged between 18 and 60 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Phototype I
  • Previous treatment with any kind of phototherapy in the last 6 months.
  • Patients with counter indications for PUVA or phototherapy (history of skin cancer, pregnancy, etc.).
  • Acral vitiligo (only hands and feet are affected).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: NONE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: A
Group A: 2 months treatment-1 month no treatment-2 months treatment-1 month no treatment
Group A: 2 months treatment-1 month no treatment-2 months treatment-1 month no treatment
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: B
Group B: 6 months non-stop treatment.
Group B: 6 months non-stop treatment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The percentage of repigmentation on the target lesions will be evaluated at the end of each treatment in both groups.
Time Frame: 6 months
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Mauro Picardo, MD, Istituto San Gallicano - Rome - Italy

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

April 1, 2007

Primary Completion (ANTICIPATED)

December 1, 2010

Study Completion (ANTICIPATED)

June 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 4, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 4, 2007

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

September 5, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

June 2, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 1, 2010

Last Verified

June 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • VETF01

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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