Paraneoplastic pemphigus: Revised diagnostic criteria based on literature analysis.

BACKGROUND: Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a rare autoimmune bullous disease classically associated with an underlying neoplasm. The heterogeneous clinical and histopathologic features of the disease make diagnosis challenging for clinicians. There are no formally accepted diagnostic criteria, and newer techniques for identifying antibodies directed against plakin proteins have largely replaced immunoprecipitation, the historic gold standard. METHODS: An analysis of 265 published cases of PNP was performed. The clinical, histopathologic, and immunologic features of PNP were assessed. RESULTS: Based on this review, we modified previous diagnostic criteria to capture 89.4% of PNP cases compared to 71.2% of cases captured by the most commonly referenced criteria devised by Camisa and Helm (p-value < 0.01, z-test; 95% CI [10.2, 33.6]). CONCLUSION: These revised diagnostic criteria address the variable clinical, histopathologic, and biochemical features of PNP, allowing physicians to have greater confidence in diagnosis of this rare and often fatal disease. The revised criteria include three major criteria and two minor criteria, whereby meeting either all three major criteria or two major and both minor criteria would fulfill a diagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus. The major criteria include (a) mucous membrane lesions with or without cutaneous involvement, (b) concomitant internal neoplasm, and (b) serologic evidence of anti-plakin antibodies. The minor criteria include (a) acantholysis and/or lichenoid interface dermatitis on histopathology and (b) direct immunofluorescence staining showing intercellular and/or basement membrane staining.

Enfermedades acantolíticas: caracterización de pacientes con diagnóstico de enfermedad de Hailey-Hailey, enfermedad de Darier y enfermedad de Grover, entre los años 2007 y 2017 en el Hospital Clínico San Borja Arriaran y revisión de la literatura / Characterization of patients diagnosed with Hailey-Hailey disease: Darier's disease and Grover's disease, between 2007 and 2017 at the San Borja Arriaran Clinical Hospital and review of the literature

INTRODUCCIÓN: Las enfermedades acatólicas son un grupo heterogéneo de enfermedades que presentan como característica central histopatológica la acantosis. Generalmente presentan un curso de evolución crónica y recidivante, con variadas manifestaciones clínicas. OBJETIVO: caracterizar los pacientes con diagnóstico de enfermedad acantolítica, bajo 5 criterios clínicos y realizar una revisión de la literatura. MÉTODOS: Se realizó una revisión de la base de datos del Servicio Anatomía Patológica del Hospital San Borja Arriaran (HSBA) entre los años 2007 y 2017 y se complementaron con los antecedentes clínicos extraídos de las fichas clínicas.RESULTADOS: Se obtuvo un total de 13 casos. el 53,8% correspondieron a enfermedad de Darier, 20,6% a enfermedad de Hailey-Hailey y un 20,6% a enfermedad de Grover, obteniendo un promedio de edad al momento del diagnóstico de 22,5 años, 44,3 años y 47,6 años respectivamente. Los antecedentes familiares estuvieron presentes en el 53,8% del total de pacientes, ninguno de ellos presentaba estudio genético. El 61,5% de la muestra correspondió a pacientes de sexo femenino y el promedio de años de evolución previo al diagnóstico fue de 7,4 años para Darier, 8,6 para Hailey-Hailey y para Grover. El 100% de los pacientes con enfermedad de Darier y Grover estaban con terapia sistémica y el 66,6% de enfermedad de Hailey-Hailey con terapia tópica, todos con adecuada respuesta clínica. DISCUSIÓN y conclusiones: las enfermedades acantolíticas corresponden a genodermatosis poco frecuente cuyo diagnóstico y tratamiento constitu-yen un desafío para el dermatólogo

INTRODUCTION: Atytolic diseases are a heterogeneous group of diseases that present acanthosis as a histopathological central characteristic. They usually present a course of chronic and recurrent evolution, with varied clinical manifestations. OBJECTIVE: to characterize the patients diagnosed with acantholytic disease, with 5 clinical criteria and to carry out a review of the literature. METHODS: A review of the database of the Pathological Anatomy Service of the San Bor-ja Arriaran Hospital (HSBA) between 2007 and 2017 was carried out and complemented with the clinical records extracted from the clinical files. RESULTS: A total of 13 cases were obtained. 53.8% corresponded to Darier's disease, 20.6% to Hailey-Hailey's disease and 20.6% to Grover's disease, obtaining an average age at diagnosis of 22.5 years, 44.3 years and 47.6 years respectively. Family history was present in 53.8% of the to-tal patients, none of them had a genetic study. 61.5% of the sample corresponded to female patients and the average of years of evolution prior to diagnosis was 7.4 years for Darier, 8.6 for Hailey-Hailey and for Grover. 100% of the pa-tients with Darier and Grover's disease were on systemic therapy and 66.6% of Hailey-Hailey's disease with topical therapy, all with adequate clinical response. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: acantholytic diseases correspond to rare genodermatosis whose diagnosis and treatment constitute a challenge for the dermatologist.

Atypical features and systemic associations in extensive cases of Grover disease: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Grover disease is an acantholytic disorder that typically occurs on the trunk of older individuals, primarily white men, in association with heat and xerosis. Cases with extensive and/or atypical distributions have been reported. OBJECTIVE: To review the literature characterizing the population, morphology, associations, and disease course of extensive or atypical eruptions of Grover disease. METHODS: A systematic literature review identified 50 articles with 69 cases. RESULTS: Patient age ranged from 14 to 83 years (mean age, 56 ± 15), with 71% of patients being male and 29% female. Areas of involvement included the trunk (90%), upper and lower extremities (63% and 61%, respectively), face/scalp (28%), neck (21%), groin (11%), buttocks (8%), and axillae (6%). The most common associations included a history of malignancy (61%), recent chemotherapy (38%), and recent transplant (20%). LIMITATIONS: Extensive cases with typical clinical morphology may not have been examined by biopsy or reported; thus, this review may have publication bias toward more severe or atypical presentations. CONCLUSIONS: Greater variability exists among patients affected by extensive or atypical Grover disease than among those with typical disease. Malignancy is a common association, and there may be a role for immunosuppression in the pathogenesis of extensive or atypical Grover disease.

Seasonal variations in dermatologic and dermatopathologic diagnoses: a retrospective 15-year analysis of dermatopathologic data.

BACKGROUND: Certain dermatologic conditions are known to show seasonal variations in frequency, the reasons for which are unclear but in some cases may be attributable to changes in ambient weather conditions. OBJECTIVES: The current study was conducted to determine whether seasonal trends might exist for dermatologic conditions including erythema multiforme, guttate psoriasis, erythema dyschromicum perstans (ashy dermatosis), pityriasis lichenoides, and pityriasis rosea. METHODS: Data were derived from a 15-year retrospective review of electronic records from a large dermatopathology laboratory located in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA. Numbers of diagnoses per month and "per season" were determined. Pairwise comparisons of seasonal data were made using two-sample t-tests with significance set at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Perniosis (chilblains) was significantly more common in winter and spring (P = 0.001). Hand, foot, and mouth disease was statistically more prevalent in summer and autumn (P = 0.028). Erythema multiforme was most common in spring and summer (P = 0.004). Grover's disease was most common in winter and spring (P = 0.000039). Guttate psoriasis was non-significantly more common in winter and spring (P = 0.076). No statistically significant seasonal variation was found for erythema dyschromicum perstans (P = 0.899), pityriasis rosea (P = 0.727), or pityriasis lichenoides (P = 0.366). CONCLUSIONS: This study found statistically significant seasonal trends for several dermatologic conditions. The study was primarily epidemiologic and was not intended to address histopathologic differences that might underlie the seasonal variations observed. However, further investigation of seasonal differences in the histopathology of erythema multiforme may prove interesting.

Papular acantholytic dyskeratosis of the vulva associated with familial Hailey-Hailey disease.

Papular acantholytic dyskeratosis (PAD) of the vulva is a rare, chronic disorder first described in 1984. It presents in young women as white to skin-coloured smooth papules over the vulva, which are persistent but asymptomatic. Histologically, there is hyperkeratosis and focal parakeratosis with acantholytic and dyskeratotic cells forming corps ronds and grains, placing PAD within Ackerman's spectrum of focal acantholytic dyskeratoses with Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD) and Darier disease. There have been 17 previous reports of PAD of the vulva, to our knowledge. Only one demonstrated a familial pattern, and none of the cases was associated with a family history of HHD. This is the first report of PAD and HHD in a single family, suggesting that PAD and HHD lie on a spectrum of disease and are genetically linked.

The Incidence of Acantholysis in Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris-Histopathological Study Using Multiple-Step Sections and Clinicopathologic Correlations.

BACKGROUND: The classical histopathological findings in the epidermis of pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) do not include acantholysis; however, acantholysis was described in several case reports and a few series of PRP with variable frequencies. We sought to establish the incidence of acantholysis in biopsies from consecutively referred PRP cases using multiple-step sections and clinicopathologic correlations. METHODS: Twenty-three biopsies from 12 consecutively referred patients with classical (type 1) PRP were studied histopathologically. Each specimen was completely step sectioned. The clinical files of the patients were also reviewed. RESULTS: Small foci of acantholysis were observed in some of the step sections of 5 of 23 (22%) biopsies obtained from 4 patients. Three biopsies showed suprabasal acantholysis, 1 of which also demonstrated mild dyskeratosis and 2 showed midepidermal acantholytic foci as well. The remaining 2 biopsies demonstrated midepidermal and subcorneal acantholysis, respectively. Small erosions were described in the physical examination of 2 of the 4 (50%) patients with acantholysis and in 1 of the 8 (12.5%) patients without acantholysis. LIMITATIONS: The number of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Small foci of acantholysis may be found in the minority of PRP biopsies, and it may be related to small erosions clinically in some patients.

Grover disease: a reappraisal of histopathological diagnostic criteria in 120 cases.

Grover disease (GD) is a rather common papular pruritic dermatosis that can be transient, persistent, or asymptomatic. The microscopic diagnosis of clinically suspected lesions can be challenging because GD can adopt different patterns, and involved areas are generally admitted to be mostly focal. The histopathologic hallmark of the disease is acantholysis, frequently combined with dyskeratosis, which confers the lesions an appearance similar to Darier disease, Hailey-Hailey disease, or pemphigus. Eczematous features can be observed as well. In this study of 120 consecutive cases of GD, we have found a sex and age incidence similar to what has been previously described, with no obvious seasonal influence, but careful evaluation of their microscopic features suggests that the histopathological diagnostic criteria of GD should be expanded. Specifically, in addition to the commonly described GD findings, we have detected cases with porokeratosis-like oblique columns of parakeratosis, lesions showing a nevoid or lentiginous silhouette, intraepidermal vesicular lesions, lichenoid changes with basal vacuolization and dyskeratosis, and dysmaturative foci with keratinocyte atypia. Moreover, quite often the dermal infiltrate was composed not only of lymphocytes intermingled with eosinophils, but also of neutrophils. In many cases, the capillary vessels showed hints of vascular damage including endothelial tumefaction due to cytoplasmatic edema and erythrocyte extravasation. Finally, because involved areas were larger than 2 mm in more than 50% of our cases, we should assume that GD lesions are not always as small as commonly claimed. Awareness of the patterns newly described herein may be important to avoid underdiagnosis of GD and may contribute to understand the pathogenesis of this acantholytic disease.

Seasonal variation of transient acantholytic dyskeratosis (Grover's disease).

BACKGROUND: Grover's disease (GD), or transient acantholytic dermatosis, is a pruritic, papulovesicular eruption characterized histopathologically by acantholysis with or without dyskeratosis. The origin of GD is unknown. Suggested causes include sweating, heat, immobilization occlusion, external beam and ultraviolet radiation, and xerosis. GD has also been found to occur in association with other diseases. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess whether GD exhibits seasonal variation and, if so, to determine whether any inferences can be drawn from its seasonal variation regarding its cause. METHODS: We identified 385 patients who fulfilled both clinical and histopathologic criteria for GD among 423,106 patients diagnosed at the Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology in New York City during the period from July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2004. By design, no hospitalized patients were studied. RESULTS: A diagnosis of GD was given to 0.09% of biopsy specimens at the Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology. GD was diagnosed approximately 4 times more commonly in winter than in summer, although the number of biopsies was constant. The average age of GD patients was 64 years with a male/female ratio of 1.95:1. The most common histopathologic type of GD was pemphigus vulgaris. GD was suspected clinically in 54% of patients. LIMITATIONS: This study did not assess hospitalized patients with GD or GD patients who lived outside the northeastern United States. Because the data assessed resided in a commercial dermatopathology laboratory, patients assessed in almost all cases had insurance coverage. Patients without insurance likely were not included in the study. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of GD constitutes a higher proportion of biopsies in the winter than in the summer and therefore, by inference, occurs more frequently in the winter. In the winter, elderly men whose skin is naturally xerotic sweat less and are exposed to low ambient humidity. Rather than being caused by sweating and heat, GD arises against a backdrop of an intact but xerotic epidermis with decreased sweat production and is likely related to impaired epidermal integrity.

Incidence of transient acantholytic dermatosis (Grover's disease) in a hospital setting.

BACKGROUND: Grovers's disease may be triggered by bed rest. METHODS: We have prospectively analyzed, over a 30-month period, all cases of transient acantholytic dermatosis (TAD) diagnosed in the context of a dermatological consultation for inpatients of a community hospital. RESULTS: A total of 28 cases of TAD were diagnosed within a total of 3,750 patients examined (0.8%). The mean age of patients with TAD was 66.7 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.8. In 83% of cases the length of hospitalization preceding TAD was 66.7 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.8. In 83% of cases the length of hospitalization preceding TAD exceeded 2 weeks, and in all cases there was an association with strict bed rest. No association with malignant disease or other specific pathologies was observed. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that TAD, which is frequent in elderly patients within a hospital setting, is not paraneoplastic and favor the hypothesis of a sweat-related pathogenesis.