Case Report: Management of Malignancy-Exacerbated Pemphigus Vulgaris During COVID-19 Pandemic

Pemphigus vulgaris is an intraepidermal autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disease whose etiopathogenesis includes various trigger factors, i.e., drugs and malignancies. We present a case of malignancy-exacerbated pemphigus vulgaris which required a careful diagnostic process in order to rule out p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alberto Corrà, Francesca Cammelli, Lavinia Quintarelli, Giuseppe Barbato, Ornella Le Rose, Adele Salemme, Giovanni Di Zenzo, Francesco Coratti, Alice Verdelli, Cristina Aimo, Elena Biancamaria Mariotti, Beatrice Bianchi, Fabio Cianchi, Marzia Caproni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Medicine
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.708284/full
Description
Summary:Pemphigus vulgaris is an intraepidermal autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disease whose etiopathogenesis includes various trigger factors, i.e., drugs and malignancies. We present a case of malignancy-exacerbated pemphigus vulgaris which required a careful diagnostic process in order to rule out paraneoplastic pemphigus, along with the challenges posed by the need of treating both cutaneous and oncologic diseases. Possible post-operative complications post-poned the start of first-line immunosuppressive treatment of pemphigus. Moreover, the infective risks had to be minimized during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Intravenous immunoglobulins were chosen as “bridge” therapy before the tumor surgical excision, followed by rituximab in post-operative phase.
ISSN:2296-858X