Treatment of keratinocyte carcinoma in elderly patients - a review of the current literature.

A large percentage of the patients with keratinocyte carcinoma (KC, formerly known as non-melanoma skin cancer) is of advanced age and often too frail for standard therapies. However, no specific treatment recommendations are given for this population. This review aimed to give an overview of the current literature on the best practice for the treatment of elderly patients with KC. A literature search was performed in MEDLINE, using 'keratinocyte carcinoma', 'elderly', 'treatment' and various synonyms. Case reports, reviews, comments, non-English literature and studies with a sample size <15 were excluded. After selection, a total of 47 studies were reviewed. Two types of studies were identified, focusing on (I) the effect of age on treatment outcomes and (II) alternative treatment schedules for elderly patients. Studies on surgery, the gold standard, describe larger lesions and defect size in the elderly population. Recurrence rate, complication rate and disease-specific survival were not affected by age. Depending on the expected morbidity of a suggested (re-)excision and patient preferences, a conservative watchful waiting policy can be agreed upon as a shared decision. Other common treatment modalities, such as adjuvant radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy and systemic therapy for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), show comparable results in the elderly and younger population. Alternative treatment schedules for elderly patients include primary hypofractionated radiotherapy, which seems effective and well-tolerated, although research is limited to case series. Additionally, localized and topical treatments seem safe and effective especially for low-risk tumours. Data are lacking on the efficacy of systemic therapies of metastatic KC in elderly patients. Efficacy of most treatments (with the exception of photodynamic therapy) is not dependent on age. There is need for more research on the efficacy of adjusted treatment modalities, such as hypofractionated radiotherapy and palliative or curative systemic treatment.

Diagnostic value of MRI features of sacroiliitis in juvenile spondyloarthritis.

AIM: To determine the diagnostic utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of sacroiliitis in juvenile spondyloarthritis (JSpA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study of 80 paediatric patients who underwent MRI of the sacroiliac joints that were clinically suspected to have sacroiliitis. The prevalence of MRI features of active and structural lesions of sacroiliitis was recorded. Patients were classified according to the International League of Association for Rheumatology criteria. The MRI findings were compared to the final clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Sacroiliitis was seen in 25/80 (31%) patients. MRI showed active inflammation in 23 patients (29%): synovial enhancement (28%), high short tau inversion recovery (STIR)-signal in the joint space (29%), bone marrow oedema (BMO; 20%), and capsulitis (8%). Structural changes were present in 14 patients (18%): erosion (14%), fat infiltration (13%), sclerosis (8%), and ankylosis (1%). Of all MRI features, ankylosis (100%), capsulitis (98%), BMO (96%), and erosion (96%) had the highest specificity for JSpA; global diagnostic impression (55%) and synovial enhancement (52%) were the MRI features with the highest sensitivity. The likelihood ratios (LR+) for diagnosis of JSpA were high for BMO (10.5), capsulitis (7.5), global diagnostic impression (6.9), and erosions (6.75), but greater for BMO concomitant with synovial enhancement (LR+ 19.5) and for erosion concomitant with BMO (LR+ 12) or synovial enhancement (LR+ 13.5). CONCLUSION: There are multiple features of active inflammation and structural damage visible at MRI of the sacroiliac joints that can provide a specific diagnosis of JSpA when present in children with suspected sacroiliitis. Synovial enhancement is the MRI feature with the highest sensitivity for JSpA. If BMO is seen concomitant with synovial enhancement or erosion, the diagnosis of JSpA is very likely. Ankylosis, capsulitis, bone marrow oedema, and erosion all have a high specificity for JSpA. Absence of MRI findings of sacroiliitis does not exclude the diagnosis of JSpA.

Limited role of gadolinium to detect active sacroiliitis on MRI in juvenile spondyloarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the added diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced (CE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to routine non contrast-enhanced MRI to detect active sacroiliitis in clinically juvenile spondyloarthritis (JSpA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 80 children clinically suspected for sacroiliitis prospectively underwent MRI of the sacroiliac (SI) joints. Axial and coronal T1-weighted (T1), Short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) and fat-saturated T1-weighted gadolinium-DTPA (Gd) contrast-enhanced (T1/Gd) sequences were obtained. The presence of bone marrow edema (BME), capsulitis, enthesitis, high intra-articular STIR signal, synovial enhancement and a global diagnostic impression of the MRI for diagnosis of sacroiliitis was recorded. RESULTS: STIR and T1/Gd sequences had 100% agreement for depiction of BME, capsulitis and enthesitis. High intra-articular STIR signal was seen in 18/80 (22.5%) patients, 15 (83%) of whom also showed synovial enhancement in the T1/Gd sequence. Sensitivity (SN) and specificity (SP) for a clinical diagnosis of JSpA were similar for high STIR signal (SN = 33%, SP = 85%) and T1/Gd synovial enhancement (SN = 36%, SP = 92%). Positive likelihood ratio (LR+) for JSpA was twice as high for synovial enhancement than high STIR signal (4.5 compared to 2.2). Global diagnostic impression was similar (STIR: SN = 55%, SP = 87%, LR + =4 .2; T1/Gd: SN = 55%, SP = 92%, LR + = 6.9). CONCLUSION: MRI without contrast administration is sufficient to identify bone marrow edema, capsulitis and retroarticular enthesitis as features of active sacroiliitis in juvenile spondyloarthritis. In selected cases when high STIR signal in the joint is the only finding, gadolinium-enhanced images may help to confirm the presence of synovitis.