Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) are 
considered part of a spectrum of adverse cutaneous drug reactions showing severe 
and extensive skin detachment. TEN and SJS are morphologically characterized by 
active apoptotic keratinocyte cell death that results in the separation of the 
epidermis from the dermis. TEN is a life-threatening disease with a high 
mortality rate (20-30%). Although several therapies have been tried, there is no 
specific outstanding of generally accepted treatment for TEN at present. The 
pathogeneses of TEN and SJS have not yet been fully elucidated. We have 
demonstrated that high concentrations of soluble FasL (sFasL) are detected in 
TEN/SJS patients' serum samples and sFasL secreted by peripheral blood 
mononuclear cells interacts with the Fas expressed on diseased keratinocytes in 
TEN/SJS. Our data suggested sFasL is a prime candidate for therapeutic 
intervention, whereas a few recent papers have reported sFasL levels were not 
elevated in some TEN patients. An urgent review of the pathophysiology in 
TEN/SJS is needed to resolve this issue and to determine more effective 
treatment regimes.