Outpatient dermatology consultation impacts the diagnosis and management of pediatric oncology patients: A retrospective study.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The impact of dermatology consultation on the care of children with oncologic conditions is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To review outpatient dermatology visits and the resulting impact on diagnosis and management of pediatric oncology patients. METHOD: Retrospective review of pediatric oncology patients with outpatient dermatology visits at a tertiary care center from 2008 to 2015. RESULTS: The most common dermatologic diagnoses in 516 patients were skin infections (21.3%) and nonmalignant skin eruptions (33.4%). A diagnosis of significant impact (ie, malignancy, adverse cutaneous drug reaction, graft-versus-host disease, varicella-zoster virus, or herpes simplex virus infection), was made at the dermatology clinic in 14.7% of visits. Consultation resulted in a change in diagnosis in 59.8% of patients, change in dermatologic management in 72.4% of patients, and change in management of noncutaneous issues in 12.4% of patients. LIMITATIONS: The use of electronic medical records, the nongeneralizable study population, and the retrospective design represent potential limitations. CONCLUSION: Outpatient dermatology consultation can affect the care of pediatric oncology patients with respect to diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions and management of nondermatologic issues.