Frontiers in Medicine (Aug 2021)

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

  • Alberto Corrà,
  • Francesca Cammelli,
  • Lavinia Quintarelli,
  • Lavinia Quintarelli,
  • Giuseppe Barbato,
  • Ornella Le Rose,
  • Adele Salemme,
  • Giovanni Di Zenzo,
  • Francesco Coratti,
  • Alice Verdelli,
  • Alice Verdelli,
  • Cristina Aimo,
  • Elena Biancamaria Mariotti,
  • Beatrice Bianchi,
  • Fabio Cianchi,
  • Marzia Caproni,
  • Marzia Caproni

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.708284
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

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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.

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