Annular Elastolytic Giant Cell Granuloma Successfully Treated With Adalimumab Subsequently Complicated by...

We report a 51-year-old female with a 3-year history of recalcitrant annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma (AEGCG) who was effectively treated with the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antibody, adalimumab. Her disease was refractory to topical glucocorticoids, intralesional glucocorticoids, narrow-band ultraviolet light (UV)-B phototherapy and cyclosporine. During her treatment with adalimumab she developed a positive anti-nuclear-antibody and double-stranded-DNA antibody and her treatment was terminated. Our findings suggest that adalimumab is an efficacious therapeutic alternative for the treatment of annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma unresponsive to standard therapies, however drug-induced lupus is a potential side effect that clinicians must be cognizant of. To our knowledge, this is the first time adalimumab has successfully been used in the treatment of AEGCG.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(2):169-171.