Disease State: Lichenoid dermatoses
Background
Lichenoid diseases are a group of chronic inflammatory dermatoses that can affect any part of the integument, including the skin, mucous membranes, nails, and hair. This is also true for lichen planus (LP), one of the main subtypes of lichenoid disease.
Cutaneous lichen planus (CLP) is associated with a significant symptom burden that may include itch, pain or a burning sensation. The disease often leaves behind disfiguring pigmentary changes, and in some cases scarring. As such, CLP can have a substantial impact on patients’ quality of life and has been linked to psychological comorbidities such as anxiety and depression. There are no regulatory approved treatment for CLP, and drug development may be hampered by the lack of a core outcome set (COS) that includes well validated outcome measurement instruments that can highlight the improvements in physical signs, symptoms and life impact with adequate treatment, and that can be used to compare efficacy across treatments.
Project Goal
LiCOS (Lichenoid Core Outcomes Set) aims to address this gap by bringing together experts, methodologists, patients, and industry partners from around the world to develop a COS for CLP (LiCOS-CLP). This COS will help ensure that future clinical trials for CLP evaluate domains that are meaningful to stakeholders by way of instruments that demonstrate robust performance.
COS Progress Meter
Project Leads
Sanne E Uitentuis
Amit Garg
Steering Members
Kamran Ghoreschi
Zach Hopkins
Matilde Iorizzo
Kristen Lo Sicco
Aaron Mangold
Sheila Shaigany
Matthew Vesely
Key Project Team Members
Alex Silberzweig
Andrew Strunk
Alexander Velaoras
C3 Methods Partner
Phyllis Spuls
Contact
Sanne E Uitentuis, s.e.uitentuis@amsterdamumc.nl
Publications
Iorizzo M, Tosti A, Starace M, Baran R, Daniel CR 3rd, Di Chiacchio N, Goettmann S, Grover C, Haneke E, Lipner SR, Rich P, Richert B, Rigopoulos D, Rubin AI, Zaiac M, Piraccini BM. Isolated nail lichen planus: An expert consensus on treatment of the classical form. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 Dec;83(6):1717-1723. PMID: 32112995
The inflammation in cutaneous lichen planus is dominated by IFN- and IL-21-A basis for therapeutic JAK1 inhibition. Pietschke K, Holstein J, Meier K, Schäfer I, Müller-Hermelink E, Gonzalez-Menendez I, Quintanilla-Martinez L, Ghoreschi FC, Solimani F, Ghoreschi K. Exp Dermatol. 2021 Feb;30(2):262-270. doi: 10.1111/exd.14226. Epub 2020 Nov 12. PMID: 33113249
Lichen planus - a clinical guide. Solimani F, Forchhammer S, Schloegl A, Ghoreschi K, Meier K. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2021 Jun;19(6):864-882. doi: 10.1111/ddg.14565. Epub 2021 Jun 7. PMID: 34096678
Paradoxical lichen planus induced during anti-IL-17A treatment is immunologically different from spontaneously occurring lichen planus. Meier K, Holstein J, Zidane M, Kokolakis G, Ghoreschi FC, Ulrich C, Ghoreschi K, Solimani F.J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2022 Jul;36(7):e532-e534. doi: 10.1111/jdv.17996. Epub 2022 Feb 17. PMID: 35143081
Mucosal lichen planus-a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.Pradeau M, Ghoreschi K, Meier K.Dermatologie (Heidelb). 2022 Sep;73(9):670-681. doi: 10.1007/s00105-022-05034-0. Epub 2022 Aug 9. PMID: 35943534
Hopkins ZH, Thiboutot D, Homsi HA, Perez-Chada LM, Barbieri JS. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review of Measure Development and Measurement Properties. JAMA Dermatol. 2022 Aug 1;158(8):900–911. PMCID: PMC9218927
Ceccarelli MA, Gavilanes-Coloma MC, D'almeida L, Azulay D, Iorizzo M, Starace M, Haneke E, Nakamura RC. Description of the most severe signs in nail lichen planus: a strategy to contribute to the diagnosis of the severe stage. Int J Dermatol. 2022 Sep;61(9):1124-1130. PMID: 35325468
Grover C, Kharghoria G. Nail Lichen Planus Severity Index (NALSI): A Novel Severity Score for Nail Lichen Planus. Indian Dermatol Online J. 2022 Sep 5;13(5):680-681. PMID: 36304650
Hopkins ZH, Kuceki G, Taliercio VL, Snyder AM, Stoddard GJ, Duffin KC, Hess R, Secrest AM. Evaluation of Skindex-16 construct validity in routinely collected psoriasis data: a retrospective analysis of the relationship between overall physician global assessment scores and Skindex-16 and measure discordance. Arch Dermatol Res. 2022 Nov 30; PMID: 36446939
The Janus kinase 1 inhibitor abrocitinib for the treatment of oral lichen planus.Solimani F, Mesas-Fernández A, Dilling A, Nast A, Hilke FJ, Ghoreschi FC, Worm M, Ghoreschi K, Meier K.J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2023 Mar 27. doi: 10.1111/jdv.19069. Online ahead of print. PMID: 36974430
Park J, Park E, Damsky W, Vesely MD. Pembrolizumab-induced lichenoid dermatitis treated with dupilumab. JAAD Case Reports. 2023, 37: 13-15. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2023.05.004. PMID: 37332364
Hopkins ZH, Jimenez A, Taliercio VL, Clarke JT, Hansen CB, Hull CM, Rhoads JLW, Zone JJ, Sahni VN, Kean J, Secrest AM. Skin-Related Quality of Life During Autoimmune Bullous Disease Course. JAMA Dermatol [Internet]. 2023 Sept 13 [cited 2023 Sept 13]; Available from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2809082
Hopkins ZH, Chada LMP, Duffin KC. Defining what matters through core outcomes set development: uniting stakeholder perspectives, empowering patient voices. British Journal of Dermatology. 2023 Dec 11;ljad493. PMID: 38079199
Pérez-Chada LM, Hopkins ZH, Balak DMW, Rashid S, Creadore A, Chu B, Villa C, Woodbury MJ, Armstrong AW, Strand V, Gottlieb AB, Merola JF, Barbieri JS. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Psoriasis: A Systematic Review. JAMA Dermatol [Internet]. 2024 Jan 24 [cited 2024 Jan 25]; Available from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2814261
Nohria A, Desai D, Shapiro J, Bordone L, Lo Sicco K. Review of the use of Janus kinase inhibitors in the treatment of scarring alopecia. Int J Dermatol. 2024 Apr 3. doi: 10.1111/ijd.17153. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38571280.
Richmond RL, Murphy MJ, Edemobi P, Vesely MD, Cohen JM. Association of Lichen Planus with Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis in the All of Us Research Program: A Cross-Sectional Study. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. 2024, April 9. doi: 10.1093/ced/llae101. PMID: 38589773
TYK2 inhibition with deucravacitinib ameliorates erosive oral lichen planus. Stolte KN, Mesas-Fernández A, Meier K, Klein EK, Dommisch H, Ghoreschi K, Solimani F. Exp Dermatol. 2024 Apr;33(4):e15080. doi: 10.1111/exd.15080. PMID: 38628035
Pelet Del Toro N, Strunk A, Garg A, Han G. Prevalence and Treatment Patterns in Patients With Lichen Planopilaris. JAMA Dermatol. 2024;160(8):865-868. PMID: 38865116
Cho C, Haddadi NS, Kidacki M, Woodward GA, Shakiba S, Yildiz-Altay U, Richmond JM, Vesely MD. Spatial transcriptomics in inflammatory skin diseases using GeoMx digital spatial profiling: a practical guide for applications in dermatology. JID Innovations. 2024, Sep 37;5(1). PMID: 39559817
Needle C, Brinks A, Pulavarty A, Kearney C, Nohria A, Desai D, Shapiro J, Lo Sicco K. Efficacy and Tolerability of Low-Dose Versus High-Dose Doxycycline in the Management of Lymphocytic Scarring Alopecias. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Feb 17:S0190-9622(25)00304-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2025.02.028. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40112894.
Stone CJ, Broadbent E, Sahni VN, Gray L, Clarke JT, Hansen CB, Rhoads JLW, Zone JJ, Hull CM, Wu YP, Kean J, Secrest AM, Hopkins ZH. Use of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale in a Complex Medical Dermatology Clinic: Cross-sectional study evaluating associations between resilience, Health-related Quality of Life and Mental Health. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Mar 4;S0190-9622(25)00389–5. PMID: 40049241
Kidacki M, Cho C, Lopez-Giraldez F, Breidbart R, Jaiswal A, Damsky W, Chen L, Vesely MD. Spatial transcriptomics reveals differential inflammatory pathways in discoid lupus erythematosus and lichen planus. Journal of Investigative Dermatology.2025 March 18: PMID: 40113031
Pelet Del Toro N, Strunk A, Garg A, Han G. Prevalence and treatment patterns of lichen planus. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025;92(4):717-723. PMID: 39579991
Needle CD, Brinks AL, Pulavarty A, Kearney CA, Tucci C, Nohria A, Desai D, Shapiro J, Lo Sicco KI. Investigation of concordance between scalp symptoms, disease severity, and inflammatory activity in scarring alopecias. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Sep 16:S0190-9622(25)02826-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2025.09.038. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40967306.
Oral lichen planus in a patient treated with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies.Chan W, Nast A, Poch G, Ghoreschi K.J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2025 Oct;23(10):1306-1307. doi: 10.1111/ddg.15777. Epub 2025 Jun 4. PMID: 40465334
Ney Z, Ringwood D, Takara M, Frost Z, Conley M, Kean J, Secrest AM, Duffin KC, Hopkins ZH. Clinical assessment implications from core outcome domain set development exercises in dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Nov 24;S0190-9622(25)03278–5. PMID: 41297609
Brinks A, Needle C, Yin K, Kearney C, Flamm A, Rubin AI, Moshiri AS, Adotama P, Rudnicka L, Czuwara J, Shapiro J, Occidental M, Lo Sicco K. Beyond the Surface: Histopathologic Inflammation Persists in Many Clinically Quiescent Primary Cicatricial Alopecia Patients. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Nov 18:S0190-9622(25)03244-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2025.11.041. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41265751.
Needle C, Brinks A, Maguire C, Shapiro J, Orlow S, Oza V*, Lo Sicco KI*. Lichen Planopilaris in Children: Clinical Characteristics, Comorbidities, and Treatment Outcomes in a Single-Center Case Series. JAAD Case Rep. November 2025.
Updated on January 5, 2026