Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid-Associated Malignancies: Case Series and a Brief Overview of the Literature

Elevated serum BAFF in patients with ocular cicatricial pemphigoid

OBJECTIVE

The efficiency of B-cell depletion therapy for severe ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) highlights the key role of B lymphocytes in the immunopathogenesis of OCP. B-cell activating factor (BAFF) is a potent B-cell growth factor and costimulator of immunoglobulin production. Elevated serum BAFF is associated with systemic autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and bullous pemphigoid. We hypothesize that serum BAFF levels are also increased in patients with OCP.

METHODS

Sera were collected from 30 patients with new-onset active OCP, 9 with disease in remission, 10 with OCP relapse, and 15 healthy control individuals. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to measure the concentration of serum BAFF.

RESULTS

BAFF was significantly higher in patients with new-onset active OCP (700.8 ± 181.8 pg/mL) than in healthy control individuals (564.1 ± 133.2 pg/mL; p = 0.014). No significant difference was found between patients with OCP in remission (585.4 ± 216.2 pg/mL) and healthy control individuals. Patients with disease relapse treated with rituximab had an extremely high concentration of BAFF (1721.9 ± 790.8 pg/mL). Longitudinal analysis of serum BAFF from 6 patients showed that BAFF decreased as the disease went from new onset (895.0 ± 240.8 pg/mL) to remission (625.4 ± 199.8 pg/mL; p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

BAFF is involved in the active inflammation of OCP. Targeting BAFF with an antagonist may be therapeutically beneficial for patients with refractory OCP, especially those resistant to rituximab.

Topical applications of heterologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) for refractory gingival lesions in autoimmune blistering diseases

BACKGROUND

Recalcitrant gingival erosions, blisters and desquamative gingivitis are common features in oral autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBD). First line treatments include high-dosage corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs, with several side effects and elevated number of recurrences. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been recently introduced as an alternative treatment and its use seems to be promising and safe.

METHODS

In this study we describe the use of topical application of heterologous PRP in nine patients affected by mucous membrane pemphigoid, with gingival lesions refractory to previous treatments. Topical applications of PRP were performed once a week for 2 months and the endpoint for clinical evaluation was set 3 months after the last session. Oral disease severity score (ODSS) and VAS scores for pain measurement were recorded before and after treatment.

RESULTS

The procedure was painless, well accepted, and free from adverse reactions. All patients (100%) reported a reduction in VAS whereas reduction in ODSS was observed in 89% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Within the limits of the study, topical heterologous PRP is a safe and promising procedure to be studied in future controlled randomized trials as adjuvant treatment for refractory gingival lesions in patients with AIBDs.

[Immunopathogenesis of mucous membrane pemphigoid]

A detailed understanding of the immunopathogenesis of mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is of particular importance in view of the mostly difficult diagnostics and treatment of this blistering autoimmune dermatosis. A still unknown disturbance of the body's own immune tolerance leads to the formation of autoreactive cells. As the disease progresses these produce autoantibodies which are directed against structural proteins in the basement membrane zone (BMZ). After they bind to the target antigen, complement factors are deposited along the BMZ and inflammatory cells invade the underlying tissue and produce the characteristic subepithelial blistering. This inflammatory response is associated with fibrosis and scarring in many affected tissues. Most phases of MMP pathogenesis are poorly understood; however, the last few years have shed more light on this processes. These advances are mostly the result of animal and cell culture models. Typical clinical and immunopathological characteristics of MMP, such as oral, conjunctival and skin lesions, are reflected, for example, in an antibody transfer-induced mouse model for anti-laminin 332 MMP in adult mice. Dapsone, as first-line treatment for MMP patients, significantly reduced the severity of these symptoms, and fibrosis in the skin and mucous membranes was also found histologically, which makes the model well-suited for testing new therapeutic approaches for MMP patients and might be of help for further elucidation of the immunopathogenesis of MMP.

Anti-Laminin 332-Type Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid

Anti-laminin (LM) 332-type mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare autoimmune bullous disease and was originally discovered as anti-epiligrin cicatricial pemphigoid. Anti-LM332-type MMP has clinical manifestations similar to those of other types of MMP and can only be distinguished through the detection of circulating autoantibodies against LM332. Our group and others have established a number of immunological methods with varying sensitivity and specificity for detection of anti-LM332 autoantibodies; however, none of the established methods has been widely used for clinical diagnosis. There is currently no unified standard treatment, and it is very difficult to completely cure anti-LM332-type MMP. In addition, an increasing body of evidence suggests that there may be a strong correlation between anti-LM332-type MMP and tumors. In this article, we review the current progression of diagnosis and treatment of anti-LM332-type MMP, as well as the possible correlation between anti-LM332-type MMP and tumors.

A Probing of the Issue of Detecting IgG, IgG4 and IgA Antibodies to Laminin 332 Epitopes in Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid: A Clinical-Laboratory Experience of a Single Central European University Dermatology Department

Purpose

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a very rare autoimmune bullous disease, affecting predominantly the mucosae and characterized by autoantibodies to the epithelial basement membrane components. Laminin 332 (Ln-332) is one of the most probable antigens with association with malignancy. The laboratory diagnosis of Ln-332-mediated autoimmunity is troublesome. The aim here was to comparatively examine IgG, IgG4, and IgA autoantibodies specific to α3, β3 or γ2 subunits of Ln-322 in MMP patients using the BIOCHIP mosaic-based indirect immunofluorescence technique (IIF).

Patients and Methods

Sera from 15 MMP patients were studied. BIOCHIP mosaic-based Ln-332 IIF, direct immunofluorescence, ELISA tests for anti-BP180/BP20 IgG antibodies and statistical analyses were performed.

Results

Of all the 15 sera examined for IgG4 antibodies, only 1 (6.67%) reacted with the α3 chain, 0 with the β3 chain, and 0 with the γ2 chain. No positive reactivity was seen with the IgG and IgA antibodies. BIOCHIP mosaic-based IIF with Ln-332 showed 100% sensitivity, 8% specificity, 21% positive predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value in relation to the diagnostic gold standard of DIF. The concomitant malignancies were revealed in three cases.

Conclusion

The detection of antibodies to Ln-332 chains is occasional in Polish MMP sufferers. Still, the evaluation of IgG4 antibodies in MMP can reduce the false-negative results.

Immune-Mediated Diseases Associated With Cancer Risks

Question

What are the profiles of cancer risk associated with immune-mediated diseases?

Findings

In this cohort study of 478 753 participants, immune-mediated diseases were associated with an increased risk of total cancer. Organ-specific immune-mediated diseases had stronger associations with risk of local cancers than extralocal cancers, and many immune-mediated diseases were associated with increased risk of cancer in the involved organs and in the near and distant organs or different systems.

Meaning

The findings suggest that immune-mediated diseases are associated with risk of cancer at the local and systemic levels, supporting the role of local and systemic immunoregulation in carcinogenesis.

Importance

Immune regulation is important for carcinogenesis; however, the cancer risk profiles associated with immune-mediated diseases need further characterization.

Objective

To assess the prospective association of 48 immune-mediated diseases with the risk of total and individual cancers and the prospective association of organ-specific immune-mediated diseases with the risk of local and extralocal cancers.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This prospective cohort study used data from the UK Biobank cohort study on adults aged 37 to 73 years who were recruited at 22 assessment centers throughout the UK between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2010, with follow-up through February 28, 2019.

Exposures

Immune-mediated diseases.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The association of immune-mediated diseases with risk of cancer was assessed with multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs after adjusting for various potential confounders using time-varying Cox proportional hazards regression. Heterogeneity in the associations of organ-specific immune-mediated diseases with local and extralocal cancers was assessed using the contrast test method.

Results

A total of 478 753 participants (mean [SD] age, 56.4 [8.1] years; 54% female) were included in the study. During 4 600 460 person-years of follow-up, a total of 2834 cases of cancer were documented in 61 496 patients with immune-mediated diseases and 26 817 cases of cancer in 417 257 patients without any immune-mediated diseases (multivariable HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04-1.12). Five of the organ-specific immune-mediated diseases were significantly associated with higher risk of local but not extralocal cancers: asthma (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.14-1.56), celiac disease (HR, 6.89; 95% CI, 2.18-21.75), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (HR, 6.94; 95% CI, 3.94-12.25), primary biliary cholangitis (HR, 42.12; 95% CI, 20.76-85.44), and autoimmune hepatitis (HR, 21.26; 95% CI, 6.79-66.61) (P < .002 for heterogeneity). Nine immune-mediated diseases were associated with an increased risk of cancers in the involved organs (eg, asthma with lung cancer [HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.14-1.57; P < .001] and celiac disease with small intestine cancer [HR, 6.89; 95% CI, 2.18-21.75; P = .001]); 13 immune-mediated diseases were associated with an increased risk of cancer in the near organs (eg, Crohn disease with liver cancer: [HR, 4.01; 95% CI, 1.65-9.72; P = .002]) or distant organs (eg, autoimmune hepatitis with tongue cancer [HR, 27.75; 95% CI, 3.82-199.91; P = .001]) or in different systems (eg, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura with liver cancer [HR, 11.96; 95% CI, 3.82-37.42; P < .001]).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study, immune-mediated diseases were associated with an increased risk of total cancer. Organ-specific immune-mediated diseases had stronger associations with risk of local cancers than extralocal cancers. The associations for individual immune-mediated diseases were largely organ specific but were also observed for some cancers in the near and distant organs or different systems. Our findings support the role of local and systemic immunoregulation in cancer development.

European guidelines (S3) on diagnosis and management of mucous membrane pemphigoid, initiated by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology - Part I

This guideline on mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) has been elaborated by the Task Force for Autoimmune Blistering Diseases of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) with a contribution of physicians from all relevant disciplines and patient organizations. It is a S3 consensus-based guideline encompassing a systematic review of the literature until June 2019 in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. This first part covers methodology, the clinical definition of MMP, epidemiology, MMP subtypes, immunopathological characteristics, disease assessment and outcome scores. MMP describes a group of autoimmune skin and mucous membrane blistering diseases, characterized by a chronic course and by predominant involvement of the mucous membranes, such as the oral, ocular, nasal, nasopharyngeal, anogenital, laryngeal and oesophageal mucosa. MMP patients may present with mono- or multisite involvement. Patients' autoantibodies have been shown to be predominantly directed against BP180 (also called BPAG2, type XVII collagen), BP230, laminin 332 and type VII collagen, components of junctional adhesion complexes promoting epithelial stromal attachment in stratified epithelia. Various disease assessment scores are available, including the Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid Disease Area Index (MMPDAI), the Autoimmune Bullous Skin disorder Intensity Score (ABSIS), the 'Cicatrising Conjunctivitis Assessment Tool' and the Oral Disease Severity Score (ODSS). Patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs), including DLQI, ABQOL and TABQOL, can be used for assessment of quality of life to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions and monitor disease course.

A rare case of childhood mucous membrane pemphigoid involving the oral and genital mucosa

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare chronic immunobullous disease that involves the mucous membranes and may result in significant scarring and complications if diagnosis is delayed. MMP typically occurs in elderly patients, with very few cases reported in children. Here, we present a 12-year-old female patient with childhood-onset oral and genital MMP, clinically suspected to be lichen sclerosus, but eventually diagnosed as MMP after multiple supportive biopsies and confirmatory direct immunofluorescence. Although treatment was challenging, the combined use of systemic corticosteroids, dapsone, and mycophenolate mofetil was ultimately successful in achieving disease control.

Update on IgG4-mediated autoimmune diseases: New insights and new family members

Antibodies of IgG4 subclass are exceptional players of the immune system, as they are considered to be immunologically inert and functionally monovalent, and as such may be part of classical tolerance mechanisms. IgG4 antibodies are found in a range of different diseases, including IgG4-related diseases, allergy, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, helminth infection and IgG4 autoimmune diseases, where they may be pathogenic or protective. IgG4 autoimmune diseases are an emerging new group of diseases that are characterized by pathogenic, antigen-specific autoantibodies of IgG4 subclass, such as MuSK myasthenia gravis, pemphigus vulgaris and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. The list of IgG4 autoantigens is rapidly growing and to date contains 29 candidate antigens. Interestingly, IgG4 autoimmune diseases are restricted to four distinct organs: 1) the central and peripheral nervous system, 2) the kidney, 3) the skin and mucous membranes and 4) the vascular system and soluble antigens in the blood circulation. The pathogenicity of IgG4 can be validated using our classification system, and is usually excerted by functional blocking of protein-protein interaction.