Apremilast Is Effective in Lichen Planus Mucosae-Associated Stenotic Esophagitis

Lichen Planus: What is New in Diagnosis and Treatment?

Lichen planus (LP), an idiopathic, multifaceted chronic inflammatory disease with a heterogeneous clinical presentation, affects approximately 0.5-1% of the population. The various clinical manifestations of LP fall into three broad categories, namely cutaneous, appendageal, and mucosal, with further subclassification depending on the morphology and distribution patterns of individual lesions. There is mounting evidence that LP has systemic associations, including autoimmune conditions, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disorders. Cutaneous hypertrophic and mucosal forms of LP are at a heightened risk for malignant transformation. Familiarity with these potential associations in conjunction with long-term follow-up and regular screening could lead to a timely diagnosis and management of concomitant conditions. In addition, the frequent quality of life (QoL) impairment in LP underscores the need for a comprehensive approach including psychological evaluation and support. Several treatment strategies have been attempted, though most of them have not been adopted in clinical practice because of suboptimal benefit-to-risk ratios or lack of evidence. More recent studies toward pathogenesis-driven treatments have identified Janus kinase inhibitors such as tofacitinib, phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors such as apremilast, and biologics targeting the interleukin-23/interleukin-17 pathway as novel therapeutic options, resulting in a dramatic change of the treatment landscape of LP. This contemporary review focuses on the diagnosis and management of LP, and places emphasis on more recently described targeted treatment options.

Budesonide Orodispersible Tablet for the Treatment of Refractory Esophageal Lichen Planus

Esophageal lichen planus is an uncommon but highly morbid condition where effective treatments are limited. Diagnosis may be challenging and requires a high degree of clinical suspicion considering endoscopic, histopathological, esophageal, and extraesophageal manifestations. We describe a severe case of esophageal lichen planus and recurrent esophageal stricture that was refractory to acid suppression, local and systemic steroid formulations, and dilatation. We present the first reported use of budesonide orodispersible tablet for this condition, including the excellent clinical, endoscopic, and histopathological response.

Integrative Approaches for the Diagnosis and Management of Erosive Oral Lichen Planus

Erosive oral lichen planus (EOLP) represents a significant challenge in dental and medical management due to its chronic inflammatory nature, painful symptoms, and impact on quality of life. This study aims to evaluate the current diagnostic approach with novel non-invasive techniques, such as dermoscopy, and also the landscape of treatment options for EOLP, focusing on its efficacy, safety, and the challenges that it present in clinical practice. Through a comprehensive literature review, we explored the use of topical corticosteroids, systemic immunosuppressants, biologics, and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in treating EOLP, alongside examining patient compliance, psychological impacts, and the risk of adverse effects and recurrence. Our findings reveal that while topical corticosteroids are the cornerstone of EOLP treatment, offering symptomatic relief, their long-term use is limited by side effects and tolerance development. Systemic therapies and biologics provide alternatives for refractory cases but necessitate careful adverse effect monitoring. JAK inhibitors show promise as an innovative treatment avenue but require more evidence on long-term safety and efficacy. This study highlights the necessity of personalized treatment approaches due to the variable disease course and response to treatment, underscoring the importance of a multidisciplinary strategy in managing EOLP. The complexity of EOLP treatment, compounded by its psychological and quality of life impacts, demands ongoing research into targeted therapies, the establishment of standardized treatment protocols, and the development of effective outcome measures to improve patient care and treatment outcomes.

Oesophageal Lichen Planus Successfully Treated with Budesonide Orodispersible Tablets: A Case Report

Introduction

Lichen planus is a relatively common inflammatory condition of the nails, skin, and mucosal surfaces. Oesophageal involvement of lichen planus is thought to be very rare, mainly described in case reports, but is associated with a high risk of oesophageal stenosis as well as squamous cell carcinoma. No evidence-based treatment recommendations exist, with the majority of described treatment regimens involving systemic immunosuppression.

Case Report

In this case report, we describe a novel approach in treating oesophageal lichen planus in a patient with budesonide orodispersible tablets, a treatment normally reserved for eosinophilic oesophagitis. The patient achieved complete relief of dysphagia, with a follow-up oesophagogastroduodenoscopy 2 months after treatment commencement being macroscopically and microscopically free of inflammatory activity. This case report is to our knowledge the first to report this treatment regimen in oesophageal lichen planus.

Conclusion

We consider a trial of budesonide orodispersible tablets a reasonable initial management as it's a local therapy specific to the oesophagus with a more benign side effect profile than systemic immunosuppression, but further studies need to be undertaken to corroborate our findings. Also, based on the severity and malignant potential of oesophageal lichen planus, we suggest that physicians be liberal in ordering oesophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsy taking as part of the workup of dysphagia in a patient with known lichen planus.

Esophageal lichen planus: Current knowledge, challenges and future perspectives

Lichen planus (LP) is a frequent, chronic inflammatory disease involving the skin, mucous membranes and/or skin appendages. Esophageal involvement in lichen planus (ELP) is a clinically important albeit underdiagnosed inflammatory condition. This narrative review aims to give an overview of the current knowledge on ELP, its prevalence, pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, diagnostic criteria, and therapeutic options in order to provide support in clinical management. Studies on ELP were collected using PubMed/Medline. Relevant clinical and therapeutical characteristics from published patient cohorts including our own cohort were extracted and summarized. ELP mainly affects middle-aged women. The principal symptom is dysphagia. However, asymptomatic cases despite progressed macroscopic esophageal lesions may occur. The pathogenesis is unknown, however an immune-mediated mechanism is probable. Endoscopically, ELP is characterized by mucosal denudation and tearing, trachealization, and hyperkeratosis. Scarring esophageal stenosis may occur in chronic courses. Histologic findings include mucosal detachment, T-lymphocytic infiltrations, epithelial apoptosis (Civatte bodies), dyskeratosis, and hyperkeratosis. Direct immuno-fluorescence shows fibrinogen deposits along the basement membrane zone. To date, there is no established therapy. However, treatment with topical steroids induces symptomatic and histologic improvement in two thirds of ELP patients in general. More severe cases may require therapy with immunosuppressors. In symptomatic esophageal stenosis, endoscopic dilation may be necessary. ELP may be regarded as a precancerous condition as transition to squamous cell carcinoma has been documented in literature. ELP is an underdiagnosed yet clinically important differential diagnosis for patients with unclear dysphagia or esophagitis. Timely diagnosis and therapy might prevent potential sequelae such as esophageal stenosis or development of invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Further studies are needed to gain more knowledge about the pathogenesis and treatment options.

Lichen Planus

Lichen planus (LP) is a T cell-mediated disease affecting the stratified squamous epithelia of the skin and/or mucus membrane. Histologically, the disease is characterized by a lichenoid inflammatory infiltrate and vacuolar degeneration of the basal layer of the epidermis. LP has three major subtypes: Cutaneous, mucosal and appendageal LP. Rarely, it may affect the nails in the absence of skin and/or mucosal changes. LP may also be induced by several drugs, typically anti-hypertensive medication or be associated with infections, particularly viral hepatitis. The diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation and characteristic histological findings. Although the disease is often self-limiting, the intractable pruritus and painful mucosal erosions result in significant morbidity. The current first-line treatment are topical and/or systemic corticosteroids. In addition, immunosuppressants may be used as corticosteroid-sparing agents. These, however are often not sufficient to control disease. Janus kinase inhibitors and biologics (anti-IL-12/23, anti-IL17) have emerged as novel future treatment options. Thus, one may expect a dramatic change of the treatment landscape of LP in the near future.

Apremilast for genital erosive lichen planus in women (the AP-GELP Study): study protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial

Background

Genital erosive lichen planus (GELP) is a genital subtype of lichen planus, a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of unknown aetiology. In women, GELP is characterised by painful vulvo-vaginal mucosal erosions and scarring, often resulting in poor sexual health and reduced quality of life. Treatment options are limited and often with little effect. Apremilast, a phosphodiesterase 4-inhibitor, has been shown to have a positive effect on psoriasis and other inflammatory skin diseases. We aim to investigate the effect and safety of peroral apremilast in women with GELP in a randomised placebo-controlled double-blinded clinical trial.

Methods

We will recruit 42 adult women with characteristic clinical and/or histological features of moderate-to-severe GELP from a specialised vulva clinic in Oslo, Norway. The patients will be randomised 1:1 to either apremilast 30 mg BID (with an initial dose titration on days 1–6) or a placebo for 24 weeks. The concomitant use of topical corticosteroids will be allowed. The primary end point will be the mean GELP score, a clinical scoring system, at week 24 in the apremilast-treated patients versus the placebo-treated patients. The secondary end points will include the mean GELP score improvement from weeks 0 to 24, patient-reported use of topical steroids, the pain score on a visual analogue scale and the number of patients with GELP score improvements at weeks 16 and 24. The Physician Global Assessment , Patient Global Assessment and selected quality of life and sexual function assessments will be recorded at weeks 0, 16 and 24. The exploratory endpoints include description of immunohistochemical changes before and after apremilast therapy, assessed in vulvar or vaginal biopsies at weeks 0 and 24. Regular follow-ups for possible adverse events will be conducted.

Discussion

The study design is based on experience from studies on apremilast in other inflammatory skin diseases using equivalent apremilast doses for approved indications. The trial may provide evidence for the use of apremilast in women with this burdensome genital dermatosis.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.govNCT0365666. Registered on 4 September 2018.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-021-05428-w.

Therapeutic targeting of 3',5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases: inhibition and beyond

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs), enzymes that degrade 3',5'-cyclic nucleotides, are being pursued as therapeutic targets for several diseases, including those affecting the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, fertility, immunity, cancer and metabolism. Clinical development programmes have focused exclusively on catalytic inhibition, which continues to be a strong focus of ongoing drug discovery efforts. However, emerging evidence supports novel strategies to therapeutically target PDE function, including enhancing catalytic activity, normalizing altered compartmentalization and modulating post-translational modifications, as well as the potential use of PDEs as disease biomarkers. Importantly, a more refined appreciation of the intramolecular mechanisms regulating PDE function and trafficking is emerging, making these pioneering drug discovery efforts tractable.

Off-label studies on apremilast in dermatology: a review

Purpose: Apremilast is a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor FDA approved for psoriatic arthritis and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. In recent years, multiple studies have suggested other potential uses for apremilast in dermatology. A summary of these various studies will be a valuable aid to dermatologists considering apremilast for an alternative indication.Materials and methods: The PubMed/MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were queried with the term 'apremilast,' with results manually screened to identify published data on off-label uses of apremilast. The article was structured by the quality of evidence available.Results: Apremilast use in dermatology beyond plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis is frequently described in the literature, with a mixture of positive and negative results. Randomized controlled data is available for Behçet's disease, hidradenitis suppurativa, nail/scalp/palmoplantar psoriasis, alopecia areata, and atopic dermatitis.Conclusion: The relatively safe adverse effect profile of apremilast and its broad immunomodulatory characteristics may make it a promising option in the future for patients with difficult to treat diseases in dermatology, refractory to first line therapies, but further studies will be necessary to clarify its role.

Treatment of recalcitrant erosive oral lichen planus and desquamative gingivitis with oral apremilast

BACKGROUND

Erosive oral lichen planus and desquamative gingivitis are uncommon but severe debilitating variants of oral lichen planus. Treatment of these presentations is difficult and challenging.

MAIN OBSERVATION

A 44-year-old woman was referred to the dermatology clinic with chronic painful lichen planus-related gingivitis and buccal erosions. She has failed multiple treatments including topical clobetasol and tacrolimus, intralesional corticosteroids and several systemic and immunosuppressive agents. Following completion of three months of treatment with oral apremilast at a dose of 30 mg twice daily, significant improvement was noted in her disease activity.

CONCLUSION

Oral apremilast may be a safe and effective treatment for erosive oral lichen planus.