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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1416473

The possible and intriguing relationship between bullous pemphigoid and melanoma: speculations on significance and clinical relevance

Provisionally accepted
Filomena Russo Filomena Russo 1Anna Pira Anna Pira 2Feliciana Mariotti Feliciana Mariotti 2Federica Papaccio Federica Papaccio 3Anna Rita Giampetruzzi Anna Rita Giampetruzzi 1Barbara Bellei Barbara Bellei 3Giovanni Di Zenzo Giovanni Di Zenzo 2*
  • 1 Dermatological Department, Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata (IDI)-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
  • 2 Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Lazio, Italy
  • 3 Laboratory of Cutaneous Physiopathology and Integrated Center for Metabolomics Research, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute, IRCCS, Rome, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune bullous disease: it most commonly affects individuals over 70 years old and impacts severely on their quality of life. BP represents a paradigm for an organ-specific autoimmune disease and is characterized by circulating IgG autoantibodies to hemidesmosomal components: BP180 and BP230. While the crucial role of these autoantibodies in triggering BP inflammatory cascade is fully acknowledged, many ancillary etiological mechanisms need to be elucidated yet. Cutaneous melanoma is due to a malignant transformation of skin melanocytes, that produce and distribute pigments to surrounding keratinocytes. Melanoma is the most fatal skin cancer because of its increasing incidence and its propensity to metastasize. Several data such as: i) reported cases of concomitant melanoma and BP; ii) results from association studies; iii) BP onset following immune check-point inhibitors therapy; iv) expression of BP antigens in transformed melanocytes; and vi) circulating autoantibodies to BP antigens in melanoma patients suggest an intriguing, although unproven, possible association between melanoma and BP.However, a possible causative link is still debated and the putative pathogenetic mechanism underlying this association is unclear.This review aims to describe and discuss the possible relationship between BP and melanoma and give an overview of the speculations for or against this association. Of note, if demonstrated, this association could unwrap considerations of clinical relevance that represent new research frontiers.

    Keywords: Bullous pemphigoid, Melanoma, immune-checkpoint inhibitors, BP180, BP230

    Received: 12 Apr 2024; Accepted: 08 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Russo, Pira, Mariotti, Papaccio, Giampetruzzi, Bellei and Di Zenzo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Giovanni Di Zenzo, Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Lazio, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.