title: Treatment of recalcitrant pemphigus vulgaris with the tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist etanercept.
abstract: The treatment of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is generally regarded as challenging. Patients with the disease require long-term systemic therapy, creating concern for the toxicities of these treatments. Corticosteroids, as drugs of first choice, often must be combined with steroid-sparing agents to prevent hazardous long-term side effects. We describe a 62-year-old woman with long-standing PV whose cutaneous disease responded to therapy with the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) antagonist etanercept, which was started for treatment of her inflammatory seronegative arthritis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of its efficacy in the treatment of PV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, 1090 Amsterdam Ave, Suite 11D, New York, NY 10025, USA.
authors.forename: Boback
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berookhim
authors.forename: Harry D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Weinberg
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000068800:Etanercept; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000068800:Etanercept