Rituximab in refractory pemphigus vulgaris

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a severe chronic autoimmune blistering disease of skin and mucous membranes. The use of systemic corticosteroids in pemphigus has dramatically reduced its mortality rate, but the long-term use of steroids leads to severe side effects, many of which are serious. For this reason it is often necessary to add immunosuppressive agents to the regimen. However, there are occasional refractory cases in which therapy with conventionally accepted modalities is either not efficacious or not possible on account of side effects. Rituximab is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting CD20, an integral membrane protein highly expressed on the surface of pre-B lymphocytes and a…

Simultaneous diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma, psoriasis, vitiligo and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in an immunocompetent patient

Gastric and Rectal Metastases from Malignant Melanoma Presenting with Hypochromic Anemia and Treated with Immunotherapy

The authors present a case of an 80-year-old Caucasian male with multiple gastric and rectal metastases from malignant melanoma presenting with hypochromic anemia as the sole symptom of disease without evidence of cutaneous and ocular tumor localization. The patient had a medical history positive for malignant lentigo melanoma of the occipital region of the scalp and early stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and prostatic carcinoma treated with radiation therapy. The authors make some considerations on intestinal involvement by metastatic melanoma and discuss the choice of not treating with endoscopic procedures the gastric metastatic lesions most likely responsible for the clinical sig…

Erratum to “Gastric and Rectal Metastases from Malignant Melanoma Presenting with Hypochromic Anemia and Treated with Immunotherapy”

Gastric and Rectal Metastases from Malignant Melanoma Presenting with Hypochromic Anemia and Treated with Immunotherapy

The authors present a case of an 80-year-old Caucasian male with multiple gastric and rectal metastases from malignant melanoma presenting with hypochromic anemia as the sole symptom of disease without evidence of cutaneous and ocular tumor localization. The patient had a medical history positive for malignant lentigo melanoma of the occipital region of the scalp and early stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and prostatic carcinoma treated with radiation therapy. The authors make some considerations on intestinal involvement by metastatic melanoma and discuss the choice of not treating with endoscopic procedures the gastric metastatic lesions most likely responsible for the clinical sig…

Simultaneous diagnosis of Kaposi’s sarcoma, psoriasis,vitiligo and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in an immunocompetent patient