Flutamide-induced photosensitivity: is it a forme fruste of lupus?

Is photopatch testing useful in the investigation of photosensitivity due to flutamide?

“…To date, there seemed to have been a general agreement that patch and photopatch testing is unhelpful in the investigation of photosensitivity induced by flutamide. Some cases have been published with negative results (3, 4), others without such testing even having been published (6–8).…”

“…Various side‐effects have been described, including toxic hepatitis, gynaecomastia, mastodynia, hot flushes and gastrointestinal alterations. To date, few cases of cutaneous photosensitivity reactions in patients treated with flutamide (1–8) have been published, with varying results of photoallergic investigation. There are also some published cases of pseudoporphyria and lupus‐like reactions (8–11) after oral intake of flutamide, in which light is a relevant pathogenic mechanism.…”

A new allergen in the pharmaceutical industry

“…There are several reports on cutaneous photosensitivity reactions in patients taking flutamide for prostate carcinoma (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Photo-patch tests (4,8) and patch test (8) with flutamide have been positive in such patients.…”