Is Apremilast a Safe Option in Patients with History of Melanoma? A Case Series and a Review of the Literature

Alessio Gambardella; Gaetano Licata; Alina De Rosa; Giulia Calabrese; Roberto Alfano; Giuseppe Argenziano

Is Apremilast a Safe Option in Patients with History of Melanoma? A Case Series and a Review of the Literature

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2022 Feb;15(2):23-25.

Authors

Alessio Gambardella^{1

2}, Gaetano Licata^{1

2}, Alina De Rosa^{1

2}, Giulia Calabrese^{1

2}, Roberto Alfano^{1

2}, Giuseppe Argenziano^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Drs. Gambardella, Licata, De Rosa, Calabrese, Argenziano are with the Dermatology Unit, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples, Italy.
² Dr. Alfano is with the Department of Anesthesiology, Surgery and Emergency at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples, Italy.

PMID: 35309878
PMCID: PMC8884186

Abstract

Background: Recently it has been reported that apremilast might promote melanogenesis and it would therefore not be safe to use this drug in patients with psoriasis who have a history of melanoma.

Methods: From January 2017 to December 2020, we retrospectively identified, within a cohort of 635 patients in follow-up care for melanoma, 16 cases of patients with psoriasis treated with apremilast and history of melanoma. Patients were monitored at our unit for a mean duration of 36 months of follow up.

Results: The use of apremilast, in our case series was, thus, effective in managing psoriasis without causing recurrence of previous melanoma or any new suspicious lesions which would need removal.

Discussion: It has been speculated that apremilast might not be safe in patients who have a history of melanoma as it would be involved in the stimulation of melanogenesis and consequent possibility of recurrence of previous melanoma.

Conclusion: Our data show that none of the patients treated with apremilast developed recurrence of melanoma at 36 months of follow-up. Further studies are necessary to confirm the safety of apremilast in a larger number of patients with concurrent malignancies, specifically melanoma, and for a longer follow-up period.

Keywords: Apremilast; melanoma; psoriasis.

Publication types

Case Reports