Treatment of ocular cicatricial pemphigoid with the tumour necrosis factor alpha antagonist etanercept.

Sir, Cicatricial pemphigoid (CP) is a rare autoimmune subepithelial blistering disease that predominantly affects the mucous membranes with scarring (1). The disease is characterized by the involvement of muco-cutaneous sites, among them ocular invo-lvement, which can lead to blindness. Mild forms of the disease may be controlled by anti-inflammatory drugs, such as dapsone, whereas severe forms, and particularly ocular involvement, usually require the use of immunosuppressive therapies (2). As tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α plays a role in the fibrosing process, its targeting strategies are promising in the management of ocular CP. Here we report a case of ocular CP treated successfully with the TNF-α antagonist etanercept.