Behcet's disease associated with malignancy: a report of 41 Chinese cases

Real-world effectiveness and safety of adalimumab in Korean patients with intestinal Behcet's disease: a Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (KASID) multicenter study

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The short- and long-term effects of adalimumab (ADA) on Korean patients with intestinal Behcet's disease (BD) for remain unclear. Therefore, a multicenter study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ADA in Korean patients with intestinal BD in a real-world setting.

METHODS

The medical records of 67 patients with BD prescribed ADA between January 2012 and December 2020 at five referral centers in Korea were retrospectively analyzed and the safety and efficacy of ADA within 52 weeks were assessed. To evaluate the clinical efficacy of ADA, the Disease Activity Index for Intestinal BD (DAIBD) and representative blood biochemical markers were compared at 0, 12, 24, and 52 weeks of ADA treatment.

RESULTS

During the follow-up period of 52 weeks, 46 patients continued ADA treatment. The cumulative drug survival rate was 83.5%. The DAIBD score decreased over the study period (p < 0.001). Moreover, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum C-reactive protein levels, and serum albumin levels significantly improved at 12, 24, and 52 weeks of ADA treatment (all, p <0.05).

CONCLUSION

As ADA is effective for refractory intestinal BD with few safety concerns in real-world situations, it is a potential treatment option for Korean patients with intestinal BD.

Pharmacotherapy for Behçet's Disease and the Risk of Malignancy

Background: Behçet’s disease (BD) is associated with an increased risk of cancer. Few reports have been published on the relationship between drug exposure and the risk of cancer in patients with BD. Herein, we explored the relationship between pharmacologic interventions for BD and the risk of cancer.

Methods: we carried out a retrospective nested case-control study in a cohort of BD patients from attending our institution. Among 1,148 patients, 22 cancer patients were individually 1:2 matched to 44 cancer-free controls. The following biochemical indicators were evaluated: routine blood analysis, liver and kidney function tests, inflammatory indexes, blood gas analysis, blood electrolyte and previous pharmacologic interventions to manage BD including systemic glucocorticoids, methotrexate, cyclosporine-A, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide (CYC), and thalidomide, which are considered the primary medicines used for the management of BD.

Results: Among the 22 BD patients with cancers, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (22.72%) was the most common type. Furthermore, CYC administration was significantly higher in BD patients with cancer compared with the cancer-free matched control group. Further, we observed that complement 4 (C4) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.0001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.001–0.065) and hemoglobin (Hb) (OR = 0.891, 95% CI: 0.795–0.998) levels were independent protective factors for predicting cancer risk in BD patients on multivariate analyses.

Conclusion: Our study revealed that CYC was associated with a high risk of cancer in BD patients. Furthermore, C4 and Hb are independent protective factors for oncogenesis in BD patients. These findings may provide references and suggestions for clinicians to select appropriate treatments and for the early recognition of high-risk patients to reduce cancer incidence in BD patients.

Other Iatrogenic Immunodeficiency-Associated Lymphoproliferative Disorders, Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Type, in a Patient with Behçet's Disease Treated with Cyclosporine A

A 40-year-old man had been treated for Behçet's disease (BD) with cyclosporine A (CsA) for 14 years. He presented multiple lymphadenopathies with fever. Histological examination of surgical biopsy showed other iatrogenic immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma type with positivity for Epstein-Barr virus encoding RNA-1 (EBER-1). BCL2-IgH, BCL6-IgH, and MYC-IgH translocations were not detected. CsA was stopped, and R-CHOP therapy was initiated. However, his lymphoma was chemotherapy resistant and rapidly progressed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that occurred in a BD patient treated with CsA reported in English. Both BD and CsA are associated with the pathogenesis of lymphoma. We also describe extremely rare cases in the form of a literature review.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma in a patient with MAGIC syndrome: a case and review of the literature

Mouth and genital ulcer with inflamed cartilage syndrome (MAGIC syndrome) is a rare autoinflammatory disorder with unknown etiology. Except for the common clinical manifestations mimicking Behçet's disease and relapsing polychondritis, some other clinical entities are occasionally observed. In this report, we present a case in which a patient developed anaplastic large cell lymphoma 1 year after the diagnosis of MAGIC syndrome. Additionally, we review the clinical manifestations, management, and prognosis of MAGIC syndrome.

Cancer incidence in Behçet's disease

BACKGROUND

Previous studies demonstrated an increased cancer risk in autoimmune diseases. Behçet's disease (BD) was also reported to be associated with an increased risk of cancer, although the data is limited.

AIMS

In this study, we aimed to assess cancer incidence in a large cohort of BD patients and to compare with the data of the same age and gender groups.

METHODS

The study cohort consisted of BD patients of > 18 years of age who were prospectively recorded in the Hacettepe University Vasculitis Center. Data on any cancer was collected from the patient files. Cancer incidence was compared with age- and gender-specific cancer incidence rates of the normal population retrieved from the 2014 Turkish National Cancer Registry (TNCR) data using standardized incidence rates (SIR).

RESULTS

Totally, 451 adult cases with BD were included. The median age of the cohort was 43 (20-75), and 52.5% of the patients were males. Eleven cancer cases were observed during a median of 124 months follow-up. Behçet's disease was associated with an increase in cancer risk compared with expected counts in the corresponding age and sex group (SIR 2.84, 95% CI 1.50-4.94, p < 0.001). Patients with papulopustular lesions had a trend toward a decreased risk of cancer (p = 0.060), and patients using azathioprine had a significantly decreased cancer risk (p = 0.031).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed BD patients had approximately three times increased cancer risk compared with corresponding age and sex groups. Besides the routine care, increased attention for cancer surveillance is required in the follow-up of BD patients.

Risk of malignancy in Behcet disease: A meta-analysis with systematic review

BACKGROUND

Several studies have reported the association of Behcet disease (BD) with the risk of diverse kinds of cancers. However, its association is controversial. Therefore, we conducted a bioinformatics-analysis to explore any possible association.

METHODS

We obtained relevant findings published before October 2018 through literature survey of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. STATA 12.0 software was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

After screening, the meta-analysis comprised 5 studies. We observed a significant positive association between BD and enhanced malignancy risk (pooled relative risk [RR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.30), especially for hematological cancer (pooled RR, 2.58; 95% CI: 1.61-3.55) and thyroid cancer (pooled RR, 1.25; 95% CI: 1.04-1.47). However, high heterogeneity was also observed in the results (I = 81.3%). Subgroup analysis indicated that female BD patients from Korean population are at highest predisposition to overall malignancy. Besides, publication bias was not observed with our choice of surveys.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that patients suffering from BD have an overall increased risk for malignancy. Greater numbers of exhaustive temporal studies are essential for definitive inferences.

Acute myeloid leukemia in a young male patient with Behçet's disease presenting with febrile neutropenia

Behçet’s disease is a multi-systemic vasculitis which is characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulceration with positive pathergy test. These features may also be seen in various hematological malignancies. In patients with leukemia who present with Behçet’s disease-like features, it is often difficult to ascertain whether the clinical manifestations are due to leukemia, or there is co-existing Behçet’s disease too. The authors report an Indian farmer who presented with clinical features suggestive of Behçet’s disease with profound neutropenia. On bone marrow examination he was found to have acute monocytic leukemia (AML-M5). Chemotherapy for leukemia did not relieve his oral and genital ulcers, for which glucocorticoids and colchicine had to be given. So the patient had co-existence of Behçet’s disease along with AML-M5, which has never been reported in the literature before.

Cancer Risk in Patients with Intestinal Behçet's Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Background/Aims

The relationship between intestinal Behçet’s disease (BD) and cancer remains unclear. We conducted a nationwide, population-based study to determine the risk of cancer in patients with intestinal BD.

Methods

Using the National Health Insurance claims records, we collected data on 365 patients who had been diagnosed with intestinal BD between 2011 and 2014. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of overall and site-specific cancers in patients with intestinal BD in comparison with the general population were calculated.

Results

Among 167 men with intestinal BD, four cases of cancer were observed; among 191 women with BD, eight cases of cancer were observed. The risk of all cancers was significantly higher in women with intestinal BD than in women of the general population (SIR, 4.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.84 to 8.41). However, in men with intestinal BD, the risk of all cancers was not significantly higher than that in men of the general population (SIR, 2.08; 95% CI, 0.57 to 5.33). The risk of hematologic cancer was significantly higher in both men and women with intestinal BD than in their counterparts in the general population (SIR, 23.90; 95% CI, 2.89 to 86.32 in men; SIR, 34.47; 95% CI, 4.17 to 124.51 in women). In particular, patients with intestinal BD showed a higher risk of leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome than the general population.

Conclusions

Patients with intestinal BD demonstrated a higher risk of hematologic cancer, especially leukemia, than the general population. Furthermore, women with intestinal BD showed a higher risk of all cancers.

High Incidence of Gastrointestinal Ulceration and Cytogenetic Aberration of Trisomy 8 as Typical Features of Behçet's Disease Associated with Myelodysplastic Syndrome: A Series of 16 Consecutive Chinese Patients from the Shanghai Behçet's Disease Database and Comparison with the Literature

This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of Chinese patients with Behçet disease (BD) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and explore the role played by trisomy 8. This was a retrospective study of patients with BD and MDS from the Shanghai Behçet's disease database who were diagnosed between October 2012 and July 2017. There were 805 patients with BD and 16 also had MDS. Trisomy 8 was examined in patients with BD-MDS and some patients with gastrointestinal (GI) BD. Patients with BD and MDS (16/805; 2%) were more likely to be female and older; display fever and intestinal lesions; have lower leukocyte count, hemoglobin, platelet count; and show higher C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) than patients with BD without MDS (all P < 0.05). Trisomy 8 was common (81.3%) in patients with BD-MDS. Ulcers in the ileocecal region were more frequently seen in intestinal patients with BD-MDS than in BD without MDS (90.0% versus 48.9%; P = 0.032). GI ulceration is common in patients with BD-MDS. Cytogenetic aberrations, especially trisomy 8, may play a role in the pathogenesis of intestinal involvement in patients with BD-MDS.

Cancer risk in Korean patients with Behçet's disease: A nationwide population-based study

Background

Various immune-mediated diseases are associated with increased malignancy risks. However, the relationship between Behçet’s disease (BD) and cancer remains unclear. We conducted a nationwide, population-based study to determine the risk of cancer in patients with BD.

Methods

Using National Health Insurance claims records, we collected data from 2402 patients diagnosed with BD between 2013 and 2014. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of overall and site-specific cancers in patients with BD in comparison with the general population were calculated.

Results

The risks of overall cancer (SIR, 3.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.35–5.11 in men and 2.17; 1.58–2.92 in women) and solid cancer (3.10; 1.94–4.69 in men and 2.13; 1.52–2.90 in women) were greater in patients with BD than in the general population. There were significantly increased risks for these solid cancers: colorectal (4.26; 1.38–9.94), liver (4.00; 1.09–10.25), bone/articular cartilage (55.66; 1.41–310.14), prostate (7.05; 1.45–20.60), and brain/central nervous system (28.32; 3.43–102.31) in men; and the lips/oral cavity/pharynx (13.97, 1.69–50.47), liver (12.78; 5.14–26.33), lungs (4.35; 1.18–11.13), other female genital organs (53.57; 1.36–298.49), and eyes (128.26; 3.24–714.59) in women. Patients with BD had a greater risk of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) than the general population did (65.72; 7.96–237.41 in men and 53.86; 11.11–157.40 in women), but not of hematological cancer.

Conclusions

Compared to the general population, Korean patients with BD had greater risks of overall cancer, some solid cancers, and MDS, but not of hematological cancer.

18F-FDG PET/CT Findings in Two Cases With Myelodysplastic Syndrome Accompanied by Behçet's Disease

Recently, the co-occurrence of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and Behçet's disease (BD) has been reported in association with trisomy 8 and HLA 51, with the pathology varying from vasculitis to acute neutrophilic inflammation. We report for the first time about imaging findings of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission/computed tomography (PET/CT) in 2 cases having MDS accompanied by BD. In these cases, 18 F-FDG PET/CT images clearly revealed high uptake by bone marrow in MDS and by genital aphthous or ileocecal ulcers in BD. F-FDG PET/CT may be the ideal modality for the detection of comorbidity of MDS and BD.

Risk of Overall and Site-specific Cancers in Behçet Disease: A Nationwide Population-based Study in Taiwan

Objective.

The relationship between autoimmune disease and cancer is complex while large-scale epidemiological studies of cancer risk in Behçet disease (BD) have not been reported. Therefore, we conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Methods.

By using the National Health Insurance Research Database of 23 million people in Taiwan, we identified 1314 new patients with BD without previous cancer from 2000–2009 as a cohort. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) of overall and site-specific cancers in patients with BD in comparison with the general population were calculated from 2000–2011.

Results.

Among the 1314 patients with BD, 30 developed cancers (9 men and 21 women). In overall cancer risk analysis, patients with BD had a higher risk (SIR 1.5, 95% CI 1.03–2.11). Among them, female patients with BD (SIR 1.8, 95% CI 1.14–2.7), but not male patients with BD (SIR 1.08, 95% CI 0.53–1.98), have a higher risk of overall cancer. In site-specific cancer risk analysis, patients with BD had a higher risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR 8.3, 95% CI 2.1–22.7), hematological malignancy (SIR 4.2, 95% CI 1.3–10.2), and female breast cancer (SIR 2.2, 95% CI 1.004–4.1). The cancer risk was highest within the first-year followup (SIR 2.7, 95% CI 1.3–5.1), with 75% of the hematological malignancies found within the first year.

Conclusion.

This nationwide cohort study of cancer risk in patients with BD provides important information about the relationship between BD and malignancies. The results can be useful for cancer surveys in the future.