CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION Treatment of Severe, Recalcitrant, Major Aphthous Stomatitis With Adalimumab Justin Vujevich, MD; Matthew Zirwas, MD GOAL To understand recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) to better manage patients with the condition OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this activity, dermatologists and general practitioners should be able to: 1. Describe the 3 types of RAS lesions. 2. Discuss the pathogenesis of RAS. 3. Explain the treatment options for RAS. CME Test on page 104. This article has been peer reviewed and is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing approved by Michael Fisher, MD, Professor of medical education for physicians. Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Albert Einstein College of Medicine designates Review date: July 2005. this educational activity for a maximum of 1 This activity has been planned and implemented category 1 credit toward the AMA Physician’s in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies Recognition Award. Each physician should of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical claim only that credit that he/she actually spent Education through the joint sponsorship of Albert in the activity. Einstein College of Medicine and Quadrant This activity has been planned and produced in HealthCom, Inc. Albert Einstein College of Medicine accordance with ACCME Essentials. Dr. Vujevich reports no conflict of interest. Dr. Zirwas is a consultant for and has received an unrestricted educational grant from Amgen. The authors discuss off-label use of adalimumab, etanercept, pentoxifylline, and thalidomide. Dr. Fisher reports no conflict of interest. We describe an 18-year-old man with a 7-year ecurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a history of severe major aphthous stomatitis common disease of the oral mucosa, affecting refractory to multiple standard therapies who R approximately 1 in 5 individuals during their responded completely to therapy with adali- lifetime.1 Clinically, these lesions manifest as painful mumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody erythematous erosions or ulcerations typically on against tumor necrosis factor ␣ (TNF-␣). nonkeratinized mucosa. Cutis. 2005;76:129-132. RAS lesions are classified into 3 groups, based on size. Minor recurrent aphthous ulcers, the most common variety, are painful ulcers less than 1.0 cm Accepted for publication April 18, 2005. in diameter that occur on nonkeratinized mucosa. Dr. Vujevich is a dermatology resident, and Dr. Zirwas is Assistant The second class, major recurrent aphthous ulcers, Professor of Dermatology, both in the Department of Dermatology, are similar in clinical appearance but are larger University of Pittsburgh Physicians, Pennsylvania. Ͼ Reprints: Matthew Zirwas, MD, Falk Medical Bldg, 3601 Fifth Ave, ( 1.0 cm), more painful, longer lasting, and heal 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (e-mail: [email protected]). with scarring. The third group is herpetiform RAS. VOLUME 76, AUGUST 2005 129 Major Aphthous Stomatitis With Adalimumab These painful ulcers frequently cluster on the lower ocular symptoms, genital ulcerations, or risk lip, heal without scarring, occur more often in factors for human immunodeficiency virus. No women, and have a later onset of presentation. amalgam or acrylic material was present in the The etiology of RAS is poorly understood and mouth. Results of a physical examination revealed appears to be multifactorial. Predisposing factors such ulcers 1- to 2-cm in diameter with fibrinous bases as heredity,2 trauma,3 emotional stress,4 reactivation and erythematous borders involving the buccal of latent virus,5 hypersensitivity to certain foods,6 and and labial mucosa (Figure, A), tongue, soft palate, immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency7 may contribute and retropharynx. to the pathogenesis of individual cases. Results of an oral biopsy demonstrated a RAS is typically an isolated finding but may mucosal ulceration with nonspecific inflamma- occur as one manifestation of a systemic disease. tion. Test results measuring complete blood count; Associated diseases include Behçet syndrome; serum vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12; serum folate Reiter syndrome; vitamin deficiency; inflammatory and iron levels; and serum antinuclear antibodies bowel disease; mouth and genital ulcers with were within reference range. The diagnostic eval- inflamed cartilage (MAGIC) syndrome; periodic uation also included a normal colonoscopy and fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adeni- esophagogastroduodenoscopy, with normal ran- tis (PFAPA) syndrome; Sweet syndrome; and cyclic dom mucosal biopsy results and a normal fundu- neutropenia.8 Although the immunopathogenesis scopic evaluation. of RAS is unknown, most evidence suggests RAS is The patient’s previous therapies included high- a T-cell–mediated disorder resulting in the secre- potency topical steroids, topical tacrolimus oint- tion of cytokines that have a cytotoxic effect on ment, chlorhexidine rinses, topical tetracycline, oral mucosa cells. topical lidocaine, oral colchicine (0.6 mg twice There appears to be an abnormality of cytokine daily), oral dapsone (125 mg/d), oral azathioprine expression in patients with RAS, with tumor (250 mg/d), oral sulfasalazine, and oral prednisone necrosis factor ␣ (TNF-␣) being one of the overex- ranging in doses of 10 to 60 mg. Only oral pred- pressed cytokines. Borra et al9 utilized complemen- nisone had been effective, and the dose required to tary DNA microarray analysis to demonstrate a ameliorate symptoms sufficiently to allow ade- helper T cell subtype 1–predominant immune quate oral intake and speech had averaged 40 mg/d response profile in aphthous ulcer specimens com- over the previous 3 years, with no periods off pared with control oral mucosa. Buno et al10 exam- prednisone during that time. Despite this dose of ined the pattern of cytokine messenger RNA prednisone, an unintentional weight loss of 40 lb expression in lesional and normal mucosa from occurred secondary to decreased oral intake. patients with RAS, and reported higher levels of Based on the in vitro data showing up-regulation the messenger RNAs of the helper T cell subtype 1 of TNF-␣ in RAS and a prior case report describing proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 2, inter- use of etanercept for RAS,13 we decided to undertake feron ␥, and TNF-␣ in lesional biopsy specimens of a therapeutic trial of adalimumab, a monoclonal, patients with RAS compared with mucosa from fully human anti–TNF-␣ antibody, at a dosage of healthy controls. Natah et al11 reported that TNF-␣– 40 mg injected subcutaneously every other week. containing cells were more numerous in RAS oral Two weeks after the first subcutaneous injec- specimens compared with control oral mucosa. tion, our patient showed a 90% clinical improve- Finally, Taylor et al12 demonstrated enhanced ment of ulcerations (Figure, B). Over the next release of TNF-␣ by peripheral blood monocytes in several weeks, all remaining ulcerations had com- patients with RAS. pletely healed. After 4 months, our patient had no recurrence of ulcerations, and his therapy with Case Report oral prednisone was discontinued for the first time An 18-year-old man was referred to our clinic with in 3 years. Our plan is to continue biweekly injec- a 7-year history of severe oral ulcerations. The tions for a 6-month period, and if there is no lesions were extremely painful, were present on an recurrence of ulceration during this time, the essentially continuous basis, and healed with scar- interval between subcutaneous injections will be ring. The ulcerations interfered with eating, drink- lengthened until the minimum required frequency ing, and speaking. No relationship to trauma or of injections is achieved. food intake was noted. The results of a review of symptoms were other- Comment wise negative. Specifically, the patient had no Adalimumab is a recombinant, fully humanized gastrointestinal tract symptoms, fevers or chills, IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds specifically 130 CUTIS® Major Aphthous Stomatitis With Adalimumab to TNF-␣, preventing the cytokine from binding to arthritis in adults who have had an inadequate its p55 and p75 receptors and therefore neutraliz- response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. ing the activity of the cytokine.14 It is approved by The recommended dosage in these patients is the US Food and Drug Administration for use in 40 mg injected subcutaneously every other week. the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid Anti–TNF-␣ therapies have shown success in the treatment of RAS. Pentoxifylline has been shown to reduce the number of recurrent aphthous ulcers in an open clinical trial.15 Thalidomide has been reported to achieve up to a 50% remission in patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers in one crossover study versus placebo.16 Recent reports have shown successful treat- ment of RAS with TNF-␣ monoclonal antibody blocking agents. Robinson and Guitart13 reported a 50-year-old woman with partial improvement in chronic RAS after biweekly subcutaneous injec- tions of etanercept, a dimeric fusion protein com- bining the extracellular portion of the human TNF receptor (p75) linked to the Fc portion of IgG. Kaufman et al17 reported dramatic improve- ment of RAS in patients with Crohn disease using a single 5 mg/kg intravenous infusion of inflix- imab, a chimeric TNF-␣ monoclonal IgG1 anti- body composed of the mouse TNF-␣ receptor linked to the Fc portion of IgG. To our knowledge, this is the first report demon- A strating effectiveness of adalimumab for the treat- ment of RAS. There are