Omalizumab in the treatment of bullous pemphigoid resistant to first-line therapy: a French national multicentre retrospective study of 100 patients

BACKGROUND

Interest in the use of omalizumab to treat bullous pemphigoid (BP) in the event of resistance or contraindication to conventional therapies is currently based on limited evidence.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness and safety of omalizumab in BP and to identify predictive factors in response to treatment.

METHODS

We conducted a French national multicentre retrospective study including patients with a confirmed diagnosis of BP treated with omalizumab after failure of one or several treatment lines. We excluded patients with clinically atypical BP, as per Vaillant's criteria. The criteria for clinical response to omalizumab were defined according to the 2012 international consensus conference. Anti-BP180-NC16A IgE enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed on sera collected before initiating omalizumab, when available.

RESULTS

Between 2014 and 2021, 100 patients treated in 18 expert departments were included. Median age at diagnosis was 77 years (range 20-98). Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 77% of patients, and partial remission in an additional 9%. CR was maintained 'off therapy' in 11.7%, 'on minimal therapy' in 57.1%, and 'on non-minimal therapy' in 31.2%. Median time to CR was 3 months (range 2.2-24.5). Relapse rate was 14%, with a median follow-up time of 12 months (range 6-73). Adverse events occurred in four patients. CR was more frequently observed in patients with an increased serum baseline level of anti-BP180-NC16A IgE (75% vs. 41%; P = 0.011). Conversely, urticarial lesions, blood total IgE concentration or eosinophil count were not predictive of CR. Patients with an omalizumab dosage > 300 mg every 4 weeks showed a similar final outcome to those with a dosage ≤ 300 mg every 4 weeks, but control of disease activity [median 10 days (range 5-30) vs. 15 days (range 10-60); P < 0.001] and CR [median 2.4 months (range 2.2-8.2) vs. 3.9 months (range 2.3-24.5); P < 0.001] were achieved significantly faster.

CONCLUSIONS

We report the largest series to date of BP treated by omalizumab and confirm its effectiveness and safety in this indication. Serum baseline level of anti-BP180-NC16A IgE may predict response to treatment.

Anti-BP180 IgG antibody ELISA values correlate with adverse pregnancy outcomes in pemphigoid gestationis

BACKGROUND

Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) occur in 35% of patients with pemphigoid gestationis (PG). No biological predictor of APO has been established yet.

OBJECTIVES

To assess a potential relationship between the occurrence of APO and the serum value of anti-BP180 antibodies at the time of PG diagnosis.

METHODS

Multicentre retrospective study conducted from January 2009 to December 2019 in 35 secondary and tertiary care centres.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

(i) diagnosis of PG according to clinical, histological and immunological criteria, (ii) ELISA measurement of anti-BP180 IgG antibodies determined at the time of PG diagnosis with the same commercial kit and (iii) obstetrical data available.

RESULTS

Of the 95 patients with PG included, 42 had one or more APO, which mainly corresponded to preterm birth (n = 26), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (n = 18) and small weight for gestational age at birth (n = 16). From a ROC curve, we identified a threshold of 150 IU ELISA value as the most discriminating to differentiate between patients with or without IUGR, with 78% sensitivity, 55% specificity, 30% positive and 91% negative predictive value. The threshold >150 IU was confirmed using a cross-validation based on bootstrap resampling, which showed that the median threshold was 159 IU. Upon adjusting for oral corticosteroid intake and main clinical predictors of APO, an ELISA value of >150 IU was associated with the occurrence of IUGR (OR = 5.11; 95% CI: 1.48-22.30; p = 0.016) but not with any other APO. The combination of blisters and ELISA values higher than 150 IU led to a 2.4-fold higher risk of all-cause APO (OR: 10.90; 95% CI: 2.33-82.3) relative to patients with blisters but lower values of anti-BP180 antibodies (OR of 4.54; 95% CI 0.92-34.2).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that anti-BP180 antibody ELISA value in combination with clinical markers is helpful in managing the risk of APO, in particular IUGR, in patients with PG.

Most chilblains observed during the COVID-19 outbreak occur in patients who are negative for COVID-19 on polymerase chain reaction and serology testing

Background

Acral lesions, mainly chilblains, are the most frequently reported cutaneous lesions associated with COVID‐19. In more than 80% of patients tested, nasopharyngeal swabs were negative on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) for SARS‐CoV‐2 when performed, and serology was generally not performed.

Methods

A national survey was launched on 30 March 2020 by the French Society of Dermatology asking physicians to report cases of skin manifestations in patients with suspected or confirmed COVID‐19 by using a standardized questionnaire. We report the results for acral manifestations.

Results

We collected 311 cases of acral manifestations [58.5% women, median age 25.7 years (range 18–39)]. The most frequent clinical presentation (65%) was typical chilblains. In total, 93 cases (30%) showed clinical suspicion of COVID‐19, 67 (22%) had only less specific infectious symptoms and 151 (49%) had no clinical signs preceding or during the course of acral lesions. Histology of skin biopsies was consistent with chilblains. Overall, 12 patients showed significant immunological abnormalities. Of the 150 (48%) patients who were tested, 10 patients were positive. Seven of 121 (6%) RT‐PCR‐tested patients were positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, and five of 75 (7%) serology‐tested patients had IgG anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2. Tested/untested patients or those with/without confirmed COVID‐19 did not differ in age, sex, history or acral lesion clinical characteristics.

Conclusions

The results of this survey do not rule out that SARS‐CoV‐2 could be directly responsible for some cases of chilblains, but we found no evidence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in the large majority of patients with acral lesions during the COVID‐19 lockdown period in France.

What is already known about this topic?

About 1000 cases of acral lesions, mainly chilblains, were reported during the COVID‐19 outbreak.

Chilblains were reported to occur in young people within 2 weeks of infectious signs, which were mild when present.

Most cases did not have COVID‐19 confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), and few serology results were available.

What does this study add?

Among 311 patients with acral lesions, mainly chilblains, during the COVID‐19 lockdown period in France, the majority of patients tested had no evidence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.

Overall, 70 of 75 patients were seronegative for SARS‐Cov‐2 serology and 114 of 121 patients were negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 RT‐PCR.

3D Coculture Models Underline Metastatic Melanoma Cell Sensitivity to Vemurafenib

IMPACT STATEMENT

Three dimensional in vitro cell culture systems better reflect the native structural architecture of tissues and are attractive to investigate cancer cell sensitivity to drugs. We have developed and compared several metastatic melanoma (MM) models cultured as a monolayer (2D) and cocultured on three dimensional (3D) dermal equivalents with fibroblasts to better unravel factors modulating cell sensitivity to vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor. The heterotypic 3D melanoma model we have established summarizes paracrine signalization by stromal cells and type I collagen matrix, mimicking the natural microenvironment of cutaneous MM, and allows for the identification of potent sensitive melanoma cells to the drug. This model could be a powerful tool for predicting drug efficiency.

[Atypical intradermal smooth-muscle neoplasm]

BACKGROUND

We report herein a case of atypical intradermal smooth-muscle neoplasm.

PATIENT AND METHODS

A 58-year-old man presented with a painless pinkish-white chest nodule ongoing for two years. Histopathology revealed a proliferation of intradermal smooth-muscle cells. Some atypia and 5 mitoses were seen in the most mitotic fields. The histopathologist suggested a diagnosis of "atypical intradermal smooth-muscle neoplasm".

DISCUSSION

Atypical intradermal smooth-muscle neoplasm is part of a spectrum extending from skin leiomyoma to leiomyosarcoma. The prognosis consists chiefly in risk of local recurrence. The terminology is not currently accepted by WHO but nevertheless offers an alternative to inappropriate diagnosis of sarcoma, which carries psychological and social impact.

Enhanced efficacy of computerized exercise test by multivariate analysis for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. A study of 558 men without previous myocardial infarction

Multivariate analysis has been proposed to enhance diagnostic accuracy of the exercise test in coronary artery disease. To quantify the improvement given by multivariate analysis in comparison with ST segment depression alone during exercise test, 558 men without previous myocardial infarction were studied retrospectively. All the patients underwent a symptom-limited Bruce protocol with computer-averaged recordings in V5, aVF, V2. Coronary angiography was performed within the following 90 days. Prevalence of coronary artery disease (diameter narrowing of 50% or greater) was 0.56. Among 12 clinical and exercise parameters studied by stepwise multivariate analysis, five were found to reach the maximal accuracy: (1) exercise duration, (2) history of typical angina, (3) typical angina during the test, (4) age, (5) maximal heart rate. In comparison with ST depression, multivariate analysis significantly improves accuracy (74.6 vs. 66.8%, P less than 0.01) by increasing sensitivity (0.68 vs. 0.59, P less than 0.05) without affecting specificity (0.83 vs. 0.76, NS). Thus, in a group of men without infarction and a low prevalence of coronary artery disease, multivariate analysis with five easily collected variables is more accurate than ST segment depression alone during exercise. In addition, ST depression did not appear as discriminant as exercise duration for diagnostic purposes. This finding emphasises the importance of performing a symptom-limited exercise test.