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

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

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.708284

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.708284

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p>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.</p>