Bullous pemphigoid and associated malignant neoplasms

To evaluate the significance of the association of systemic malignant disease with bullous pemphigoid, we reviewed the records of patients with bullous pemphigold seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1960 and 1972. Data from 73 patients with bullous pemphigoid were compared with data from 146 controls (73 with contact dermatitis and 73 with psoriasis) matched for age, sex, and calendar year of diagnosis. In the three groups, eight patients with bullous pemphigoid, 11 with contact dermatitis, and ten with psoriasis were found to have malignant disease within the period covering the five years before and five years after the diagnosis of the skin disease. These data indicate that pemphigoid does not seem to be significantly associated with malignant disease.