Safety of biologic therapy in combination with methotrexate in moderate to severe psoriasis: a cohort study from the BIOBADADERM registry.

BACKGROUND: Safety is an important consideration in decisions on treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis and the study of drug safety is the main purpose of the BIOBADADERM registry. The combination of a biologic agent and a conventional systemic drug [generally methotrexate (MTX)] is a common treatment in clinical practice. However, there is a paucity of evidence from real-world practice on the safety of such combination regimens in the treatment of psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to ascertain whether the use of regimens combining biologic drugs with MTX in the management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis increases the risk of adverse events (AEs) or serious AEs (SAEs). We compared monotherapy using tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-23 inhibitors with the use of the same drugs in combination with MTX. METHODS: Using data from the BIOBADADERM registry, we compared biologic monotherapies with therapies that were combined with MTX. We estimated adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) using a random effects Poisson regression with 95% confidence intervals for all AEs, SAEs, infections and serious infections and other AEs by system organ class. RESULTS: We analysed data from 2829 patients and 5441 treatment cycles, a total of 12 853 patient-years. The combination of a biologic with MTX was not associated with statistically significant increases in overall risk of AEs or SAEs in any treatment group. No increase in the total number of infections or serious infections in patients receiving combined therapy was observed for any group. However, treatment with a TNF inhibitor combined with MTX was associated with an increase in the incidence of gastrointestinal AEs (aIRR 2.50, 95% CI 1.57-3.98; P < 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of AEs and SAEs was not significantly increased in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis receiving different classes of biologic drugs combined with MTX compared with those on biologic monotherapy.

Mohs micrographic surgery in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: Rate and risk factors for recurrence in a prospective cohort study from the Spanish Registry of Mohs Surgery (REGESMOHS) and review of the literature.

Characterization of patients, surgery procedures and the risk factors for dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) recurrences is poorly defined. In this study, we aimed to describe the demographics, tumor characteristics and interventions of DFSP treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MSS) to determine the rate and risk factors for recurrence. Data were collected from REGESMOHS, a nationwide prospective cohort study of patients treated with MMS in Spain. From July 2013 to February 2020, 163 patients with DFSP who underwent MMS were included. DFSP was mostly located on trunk and extremities. Recurrent tumors had deeper tumor invasion and required higher number of MMS stages. Paraffin MMS was the most frequently used technique. Overall recurrence rate was 0.97 cases/100 person-years (95% IC = 0.36-2.57). No differences were found in epidemiological, tumor, surgery characteristics or surgical technique (frozen or paraffin MMS [p = 0.6641]) in terms of recurrence. Median follow-up time was 28.6 months with 414 patient-years of follow-up. In conclusion, we found an overall low recurrence rate of DFSP treated with MMS. None of the studied risk factors, including MMS techniques, was associated with higher risk for recurrence.

Effect of Sex in Systemic Psoriasis Therapy: Differences in Prescription, Effectiveness and Safety in the BIOBADADERM Prospective Cohort.

The effect of sex on systemic therapy for psoriasis has not been well studied. The aim of this study was to analyse a large multicentre Spanish cohort of 2,881 patients with psoriasis (58.3% males), followed from January 2008 to November 2018, to determine whether sex influences prescription, effectiveness of therapy, and the risk of adverse events. The results show that women are more likely than men to be prescribed biologics. There were no differences between men and women in effectiveness of therapy, measured in terms of drug survival. Women were more likely to develop adverse events, but the difference in risk was small and does not justify different management. Study limitations include residual confounding and the use of drug survival as a proxy for effectiveness.

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Tumour Burden of Melanoma and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to compare tumour burden in patients who underwent surgery for melanoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma during nationwide lockdown in Spain due to COVID-19 (for the period 14 March to 13 June 2020) and during the same dates in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, associations between median tumour burden (Breslow thickness for melanoma and maximum clinical diameter for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma) and demographic, clinical, and medical factors were analysed, building a multivariate linear regression model. During the 3 months of lockdown, there was a significant decrease in skin tumours operated on (41% decrease for melanoma (n = 352 vs n = 207) and 44% decrease for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (n = 770 vs n = 429)) compared with the previous year. The proportion of large skin tumours operated on increased. Fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with respect to family member/close contact, and detection of the lesion by the patient or doctor, were related to thicker melanomas; and fear of being diagnosed with cancer, and detection of the lesion by the patient or relatives, were related to larger size cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. In conclusion, lockdown due to COVID-19 has resulted in a reduction in treatment of skin cancer.

Long-term safety of nine systemic medications for psoriasis: A cohort study using the Spanish Registry of Adverse Events for Biological Therapy in Dermatological Diseases (BIOBADADERM) Registry.

BACKGROUND: Registry studies broadly describing the safety of systemic drugs in psoriasis are needed. OBJECTIVE: To describe the safety findings of the systemic drugs acitretin, adalimumab, apremilast, cyclosporine, etanercept, infliximab, methotrexate, secukinumab, and ustekinumab used for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis in patients included in the Spanish Registry of Adverse Events for Biological Therapy in Dermatological Diseases (BIOBADADERM) Registry. METHODS: The incidence rate ratio (IRR) and adjusted IRR (including propensity scores) of identified adverse events for each drug, using methotrexate as reference, were determined by means of a prospective cohort. RESULTS: Our study included 2845 patients (8954 treatment cycles; 9642 patient-years). Ustekinumab and secukinumab had the lowest rate of adverse events for several of the system organ classes, with a statistically significant decreased rate ratio (IRR of <1), whereas cyclosporine and infliximab had the highest, with an increased rate ratio (IRR of ≥5). LIMITATIONS: Observational study, drug allocation not randomized, depletion of susceptibles, and prescribed doses not registered. CONCLUSION: Our data provide comparative safety information in the real-life setting that could help clinicians selecting between available products.

Successful treatment of recalcitrant discoid lupus erythematosus with ustekinumab.

We report a 52-year old woman with a 28-year historyof disfiguring facial discoid lupus erythematosus(DLE), persistent despite both classical therapiesand rituximab. Ustekinumab 45 mg was started incombination with methotrexate and intralesionalcorticosteroids. Methotrexate and intralesionalcorticosteroids were withdrawn 30 months later andustekinumab maintained as monotherapy. Fortyeight months later stable improvement was achievedwithout side effects. Only nine patients with cutaneouslupus erythematosus (CLE) treated with ustekinumabhave been reported to date. Ustekinumab could be apromising alternative in severe and recalcitrant casesof CLE. Possibly, the Th17-inflammation pathway isplaying a role in these patients.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis with histopathologic pattern of non-necrotizing granulomatous dermatitis in patients treated with adalimumab.

Human leishmaniasis produced by Leishmania infantum is endemic in Mediterranean countries. In the context of a leishmaniasis outbreak in the town of Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain, we had two patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis that developed non-necrotizing cutaneous granulomas. They had both been receiving anti-TNF treatment with adalimumab for rheumatic diseases. Neither of them developed visceral disease and did not require anti-TNF treatment withdrawal to control the cutaneous disease. It is well known that anti-TNF therapy is associated with opportunistic diseases, especially with those in which granuloma formation is an important part of the host defence, as in tuberculosis. We think that granuloma formation through activation of Toll-like receptor-9 and via induction of a Th17 response may be precipitated by the parasites in the dermis.

The risk of hepatic adverse events of systemic medications for psoriasis: a prospective cohort study using the BIOBADADERM registry.

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available regarding the risk of incident liver disease in patients with psoriasis receiving systemic therapies. OBJECTIVES: To describe the liver safety findings of conventional and modern systemic therapies for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, and to compare the relative incidence rates of hepatic adverse events (AEs) for each drug. METHODS: All the patients on the BIOBADADERM registry were included. Crude and adjusted incidence rate ratios (cIRR and aIRR, respectively) of hepatic AEs, using anti-TNF drugs as reference, were determined. Outcomes of interest were hypertransaminasemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NADFLD) and a group of other, less represented, hepatic AEs. RESULTS: Our study included 3,171 patients exposed to systemic drugs (6279 treatment cycles). Incident hypertransaminasemia was the most frequent hepatic AE (incidence rate of 21 per 1000 patients-years [CI 95% 18-23]), followed by NAFLD (8 cases per 1000 patients-years [95% CI 6-10]). Methotrexate (aIRR 3.06 [2.31-4.4]; p = 0.000) and cyclosporine (aIRR 2.37 [1.05-5.35]; p = .0378) were associated with an increased risk for hypertransaminasemia when compared to anti-TNF-α agents. No differences were observed between different groups of biologics. Conventional therapies were not associated with new incident NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative information of the incidence of hepatic AEs could facilitate drug selection in moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Unsuccessful treatment of recalcitrant cutaneous discoid lupus erythematosus with photodynamic therapy.

Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) can be a therapeutic challenge. Antimalarials and topic steroids are the first-line standard therapies, while systemic steroids, immunomodulators (as azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclosporine), retinoids (acitretin), thalidomide, auranofin and dapsone are used as second-line therapies. We report two patients with recalcitrant DLE who were treated with three and two sessions of 5-aminolevulinic photodynamic therapy without an improvement and with a bad tolerance to the therapy.

Long-term management of erythrodermic psoriasis with anti-TNF agents.

Erythrodermic psoriasis is a chronic condition that is difficult to treat. Biological agents offer a new alternative, but there are no controlled trials to support their use; there are a few reports of patients treated with these agents, but often only with short term results. We report a 68-year-old man with erythrodermic psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis, treated with infliximab for 48 weeks and then low-dose etanercept monotherapy for 34 additional months. Excellent results were obtained for both conditions without significant side effects. We think etanercept can be a good therapeutic option for long-term control of erythrodermic psoriasis.

Efficacy and safety of etanercept in psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis: an updated review.

The introduction in recent years of biologic medicines has greatly changed the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthropathy (PsA). These drugs have been effective in the treatment of these chronic, physically weakening disorders, offering good efficacy and a safety profile that differs from those of all other systemic therapies and medications available to date. Different studies have assessed the efficacy and safety of etanercept in the treatment of psoriasis and PsA. Etanercept therapy for up to 144 weeks in psoriasis has shown maintenance of efficacy over time, recapture of initial clinical responses in patients who interrupted their etanercept therapy and were re-treated, an increased percentage of clinical responses in medium-dose non-responding patients who switched to higher dosages, good responses on quality-of-life tests, and an adverse event-adjusted rate similar to placebo. In PsA, etanercept therapy for up to 96 weeks was associated with inhibition of radiologic progression of the disease in addition to maintenance of efficacy over time and good responses on quality-of-life tests. In studies of patients with psoriasis, the adverse effects of etanercept were mostly mild, did not require discontinuation of treatment, and were not associated with cumulative toxicity over time. However, safety concerns about etanercept therapy are well known, and include injection-site reactions, infections, congestive heart failure, demyelinating diseases, lupus-like syndromes, and neoplasms. There are no data about any new safety concerns when etanercept is combined with systemic traditional therapies, although use of this therapy has been reported in only a small number of patients to date.Non-neutralizing anti-etanercept antibodies are not related to a decreased response to therapy and neutralizing antibodies have not been described to date. Treatment of patients infected with hepatitis C virus or HIV does not increase viral load in either case, affect liver function tests, or increase the risk of infections. To date, the available data suggest that use of etanercept during pregnancy or in breast-feeding women should be avoided. Children and the elderly may be treated with similar efficacy and safety profiles as have been observed in adults. Non-live vaccines can be administered to patients taking etanercept. Because of its long-term efficacy and safety, etanercept is likely to become a treatment option for consideration in the long-term management of patients with psoriasis and PsA.