Recommendations from the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Psoriasis Working Group on the Management of Patients with Cancer and Psoriasis. / Recomendaciones del Grupo de Psoriasis de la Academia Española de Dermatología y Venereología sobre el manejo de la psoriasis en pacientes oncológicos.

Several studies suggest that patients with psoriasis have a higher incidence of neoplasms, especially of the skin, which could be associated with the use of therapies to treat psoriasis. Furthermore, the evidence available on the safety profile of some treatments in this context, and the management of these patients is scarce, which is why clinical practice guidelines with recommendations on the management of psoriasis in cancer patients are ambiguous. This study provides recommendations on the management and use of the therapies currently available for these patients. They are the result of a Delphi consensus reached by 45 dermatologists of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Psoriasis Working Group, whose goal is to help specialists in the field in their decision-making processes.

Merkel cell carcinoma and Merkel cell polyomavirus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Several observational studies have assessed the correlation between Merkel cell carcinoma and Merkel cell polyomavirus with variable results. The objective of this systematic review was to determine whether there is a correlation between Merkel cell carcinoma and Merkel cell polyomavirus. Studies assessing the relationship between Merkel cell carcinoma and Merkel cell polyomavirus from January 2008 to August 2014 were pooled from Medline, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews and Google Scholar. From each study we collected the first author's last name, publication year, country of origin, type of study design, characteristics of participants, possible variables incorporated into the multivariable analyses and the risk ratio (RR) for Merkel cell carcinoma associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus combined with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Methodological assessment of the study was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Crude RR was calculated from the data provided in each article. Meta-analyses for the global RR and for the proportion of positives in both case and control samples were performed. In addition, in order to explore the sources of heterogeneity among the studies, meta-regression and sensitivity analyses are also provided. A total of 22 studies were identified for the analysis. The pooled RR from random-effects analysis was determined to be 6.32 (95% CI, 4.02-9.93). Global proportions of positive samples were 0.79 (95% CI, 0.72-0.84) and 0.12 (95% CI, 0.08-0.19) in the case and control groups, respectively. The findings support the association between Merkel cell carcinoma and Merkel cell polyomavirus. However, a non-negligible percentage of positive results have been identified in controls. Some caution must be taken in the interpretation of these results because heterogeneity between studies was found.

[Nail psoriasis in individuals with psoriasis vulgaris: a study of 661 patients]. / Psoriasis ungueal: estudio en 661 pacientes con psoriasis vulgar.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The nails are affected in a substantial number of patients with psoriasis. Nevertheless, few epidemiological studies have reported the characteristics of patients with nail psoriasis. Here we describe the epidemiology of nail psoriasis and the main characteristics of affected patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We undertook a prospective case-control study at Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla and Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias in Spain between January 2007 and December 2009. RESULTS: Of a total of 661 patients included, 47.4% were diagnosed with nail psoriasis, which was 13.5% more prevalent in men. The group of patients with nail disease had more severe psoriasis (12.82 vs 8.22 points on the psoriasis area and severity index) and a longer disease duration (20.30 vs 13.94years), and included a larger percentage of patients with psoriatic arthritis (29.7% vs 11.5%), a positive family history of the disease (53.7% vs 42.8%), and a body mass index greater than 30 (31.6% vs 23.9%). A larger percentage of the patients with nail disease had early-onset psoriasis (74.1% vs 65.5%) and fewer were carriers of the human lymphocyte antigen Cw*0602 allele (33% vs 50.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Nail disease is frequent in psoriasis and is associated with greater severity of psoriasis and a larger number of comorbidities.

[Psoriasiform skin reactions during treatment with etanercept]. / Reacciones cutáneas psoriasiformes durante el tratamiento con etanercept.

Anti-TNFs have a wide spectrum of skin lesions, psoriasis being found among them paradoxically. A 42-year old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis since 19 years of age was referred to the Dermatology service due to pustular psoriasis on both soles during treatment with etanercept. Due to her incapacity to walk and the pain reported by the patient, etanercept was replaced with adalimumab with clinical improvement and total disappearance of the lesions at six weeks of switching the anti-TNF. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors are drugs that act in T cell mediated diseases. The appearance of psoriasiform rashes is more frequent than reported in the literature. They appear in all the indications and with all the anti-TNFs. Adalimumab is the most frequent. Three types of reactions are produced, the pustular one being the most frequent. It predominates in women and may appear chronologically at any time during the treatment. Regarding the treatment, it is recommendable to continue with the anti-TNFs.

Primary cutaneous extraskeletal osteosarcoma under a previous electrodessicated actinic keratosis.

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma represents approximately 1% of soft tissue sarcomas and approximately 4% of all osteosarcomas. It is therefore much rarer than osteosarcoma arising primarily in bone. Skin as a primary site has seldom been reported. This report describes an extraskeletal osteosarcoma of the skin under a previously electrodessicated actinic keratosis.

Q fever: a new cause of 'doughnut' granulomatous lobular panniculitis.

Q fever is an uncommon zoonotic rickettsial disease with no exanthem or specific cutaneous lesions. Only nonspecific cutaneous involvement has been reported to date. A 69-year-old Spanish woman with chronic myelogenous leukaemia developed fever and two subcutaneous nodules. The patient complained of extreme pain. Biopsy revealed a granulomatous lobular panniculitis with a characteristic 'fibrin ring' or 'doughnut' appearance: fibrin and inflammatory cells arranged around a central clear space. Changes of membranous lipodystrophy were also found. Q fever serological studies were positive. Our patient had panniculitis with singular histopathological features. These histopathological changes have been described in liver and bone marrow of patients with Q fever. To the best of our knowledge, this cutaneous involvement due to Q fever has not previously been described in the literature.

Squamous cell carcinoma arising in long-standing necrobiosis lipoidica.

Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is a disease of collagen. Squamous cell carcinomas developing in areas of chronic ulceration and scarring have been well documented in a variety of skin diseases but rarely in areas of necrobiosis lipoidica. The case history of a 76-year-old female is presented, whose squamous cell carcinoma appeared 30 years after the diagnosis of necrobiosis lipoidica. The clinical and histopathological picture is described, stressing the importance of the unusual association of the two pathologies in the prognostic.

Varicella complicated by group A streptococcal facial cellulitis.

An increase has been recently noted in the incidence of life-threatening group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) infections in children recovering from varicella. We report our experience with a patient who required pediatric intensive care unit admission because of a serious GABHS infection 1 week after the onset of varicella. Emergency physicians must look for this complication in patients with varicella remaining abnormally febrile and presenting unusual manifestations.