Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
BACKGROUND: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are dermatologic emergencies with high morbidity and mortality risk. Cyclosporine, an immunomodulatory agent, is sometimes used off-label, and its role continues to be debated. This meta-analysis aimed to provide an update of current evidence and to clarify the role of cyclosporine in SJS/TEN treatment better. METHODS: Using the keywords cyclosporine OR cyclosporine OR ciclosporin OR CsA AND Steven-Johnson OR SJS OR toxic epidermal OR epidermal necrolysis OR TEN OR hypersensitivity OR dermatologic OR burns, a preliminary search on the PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, and Google Scholar Database yielded 615 papers published in English between January1, 1960 and July 1, 2017. The inclusion criteria for this review were: 1) published retrospective or prospective study (excluding single case reports); 2) patients with clinical diagnosis of SJS or TEN; 3) trial of cyclosporine treatment; and 4) available survival/mortality data. RESULTS: =0.0467). CONCLUSION: Currently available evidence are predominantly open trials and retrospective studies with a significant risk of bias, perhaps owing to the rarity and life-threatening nature of the condition. Given its immunomodulatory actions, cyclosporine could be a potential treatment option for SJS/TEN in addition to best supportive measures. Further confirmation with robust randomized, controlled trials or larger case series is necessary and should be encouraged.
Ng et al. (Thu,) studied this question.