Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in a patient treated with adalimumab for hidradenitis suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, debilitating, inflammatory skin condition characterized by recurrent painful nodules, cysts, and abscesses that can rupture and lead to the formation of sinus tracts and scarring. In 2015, the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitor, adalimumab, was approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe HS.1 TNF-α inhibitors may increase the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancers, particularly squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).2 Patients with HS are 4.6 times more likely to go on to have nonmelanoma skin cancer than the general population.