Safety and efficacy of high-dose clobetasol propionate 0.05% in cutaneous lichen planus.

Cutaneous lichen planus is a highly pruritic dermatosis with an unmet need in its management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term effect and tolerance of high doses of clobetasol propionate 0.05% in cutaneous lichen planus. We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study from 2017 to 2021. All adults treated with high-dose (>5 g/day) clobetasol propionate 0.05% for cutaneous lichen planus were included. Patients with less than 10% affected body surface area at initial presentation or who received concomitant systemic therapy were excluded. The primary endpoint was the rate of complete remission by week 16. Secondary endpoints included maximum daily and median cumulative doses, reduction in pruritus and occurrence of adverse events. Fifty-seven patients, 60% female, with a mean age of 48 years (min-max,18-83) were included. Cutaneous lichen planus had been present for a median duration of 2 months at initial presentation (min-max, 1-4) and involved a median body surface area of 27%. Pruritus was reported by 55/57 (96%) patients. At week 16, 41/57 (72%) patients had achieved complete remission without treatment modification, among whom 25/41 (61%) had achieved it at week 6. The median daily and cumulative doses were, respectively, 20 g/day (IQR, 10-20) and 560 g (IQR, 320-925). Three patients experienced mild adverse events. No statistical association was demonstrated between the duration of the disease before treatment initiation and clinical response. In conclusion, high-dose clobetasol propionate 0.05% seems to be an effective, well-tolerated, and easy-to-implement treatment for cutaneous lichen planus.

Sarcoid-like Granulomatosis Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Melanoma.

We aimed to review the clinical and biological presentation of granulomatosis associated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in patients with melanoma and to explore its association with classical sarcoidosis as well as with cancer response to ICI. To this end, a retrospective study on 18 melanoma patients with histologically proven ICI-induced granulomatosis over a 12-year period in a single center, as well as on 67 similar cases reported in the literature, was conducted. Results indicate ICI-induced granulomatosis is an early side effect (median time to onset: 2 months). Its clinical presentation, with predominant (90%) thoracic involvement, histopathological appearance and supposed underlying biology (involving the mTOR pathway in immune cells, Th17 polarization and TReg dysfunction) are indistinguishable from those of sarcoidosis. Moreover, it appears to be associated with ICI benefit (>65% objective response rate). Evolution is generally favorable, and symptomatic steroid treatment and/or ICI discontinuation are rarely necessary. ICI-associated granulomatosis is critical to explore for several reasons. Practically, it is essential to differentiate it from cancer progression. Secondly, this "experimental" sarcoidosis brings new elements that may help to address sarcoidosis origin and pathophysiology. Its association with ICI efficacy must be confirmed on a larger scale but could have significant impacts on patient management and biomarker definition.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated sarcoidosis: A usually benign disease that does not require immunotherapy discontinuation.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the clinical patterns of sarcoidosis triggered by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The ImmunoCancer International Registry is a big data-sharing multidisciplinary network from 18 countries dedicated to evaluating the clinical research of immune-related adverse events related to cancer immunotherapies. RESULTS: We identified 32 patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis. Underlying cancer included mainly melanoma (n = 24). Cancer immunotherapy consisted of monotherapy in 19 cases (anti-PD-1 in 18 and ipilimumab in 1) or combined ipilimumab + nivolumab in 13. The time median interval between initiation of ICI and sarcoidosis diagnosis was 3 months (range, 2-29 months). The use of combined ICI was associated with a shorter delay in developing sarcoidosis symptoms. The disease was symptomatic in 19 (59%) cases with mostly cutaneous, respiratory and general symptoms. The organs involved included mainly the mediastinal lymph nodes (n = 32), the lungs (n = 11), the skin (n = 10) and the eyes (n = 5). Pulmonary computed tomography studies showed bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy in all cases. There was no severe manifestation. Specific systemic therapy was required in only 12 patients (37%): oral glucocorticoids in 9, and hydroxychloroquine in 3. ICIs were held in 25 patients (78%) and definitively discontinued in 18 (56%) patients. Seven patients continued ICI treatment with a second flare in one case. In six additional patients, an ICI was reintroduced with no harm, and sarcoidosis relapsed in one of them. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that ICI-related sarcoidosis seems to have a specific profile, possibly more benign than that of idiopathic sarcoidosis, and does not necessarily imply ICI discontinuation.