Association of sociodemographic characteristics with utilization of sentinel lymph node biopsy for American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition T1b cutaneous melanoma.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an important staging and prognostic tool for cutaneous melanoma (CM). However, there exists a knowledge gap regarding whether sociodemographic characteristics are associated with receipt of SLNB for T1b CMs, for which there are no definitive recommendations for SLNB per current National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. We performed a retrospective analysis of the 2012-2018 National Cancer Database, identifying patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual 8th edition stage T1b CM, and used multivariable logistic regression to analyze associations between sociodemographic characteristics and receipt of SLNB. Among 40,458 patients with T1b CM, 23,813 (58.9%) received SLNB. Median age was 62 years, and most patients were male (57%) and non-Hispanic White (95%). In multivariable analyses, patients of Hispanic (aOR 0.67, 95%CI 0.48-0.94) and other (aOR 0.78, 95%CI 0.63-0.97) race/ethnicity, and patients aged > 75 (aOR 0.33, 95%CI 0.29-0.38), were less likely to receive SLNB. Conversely, patients in the highest of seven socioeconomic status levels (aOR 1.37, 95%CI 1.13-1.65) and those treated at higher-volume facilities (aOR 1.29, 95%CI 1.14-1.46) were more likely to receive SLNB. Understanding the underlying drivers of these associations may yield important insights for the management of patients with melanoma.

Epidemiology, management, and treatment outcomes of metastatic spinal melanoma.

Metastatic spinal melanoma is a rare and aggressive disease process with poor prognosis. We review the literature on metastatic spinal melanoma, focusing on its epidemiology, management, and treatment outcomes. Demographics of metastatic spinal melanoma are similar to those for cutaneous melanoma, and cutaneous primary tumors tend to be most common. Decompressive surgical intervention and radiotherapy have traditionally been considered mainstays of treatment, and stereotactic radiosurgery has emerged as a promising approach in the operative management of metastatic spinal melanoma. While survival outcomes for metastatic spinal melanoma remain poor, they have improved in recent years with the advent of immune checkpoint inhibition, used in conjunction with surgery and radiotherapy. New treatment options remain under investigation, especially for patients with disease refractory to immunotherapy. We additionally explore several of these promising future directions. Nevertheless, further investigation of treatment outcomes, ideally incorporating high-quality prospective data from randomized controlled trials, is needed to identify optimal management of metastatic spinal melanoma.

Bilateral periorbital leukemia cutis presenting as suspected cellulitis.

Many conditions present with periorbital edema and erythema, mimicking preseptal cellulitis. We report the unique case of a patient with relapsed monoblastic mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 (IDH2) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who presented with periorbital edema and erythema, unresponsive to antibiotics. Histopathology from punch biopsy was consistent with leukemia cutis. The patient responded rapidly to the initiation of enasidenib, a novel targeted inhibitor of mutant IDH2 enzymes. Our case highlights the importance of considering leukemia cutis in patients with a history of leukemia presenting with periorbital edema and erythema.

Treatment Options and Outcomes for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Nail Unit: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Nail squamous cell carcinoma (nSCC) is the most common nail unit malignancy. However, no studies to date have evaluated treatment options for nSCC based on recurrence data while controlling for invasion. OBJECTIVE: To identify temporal trends in nSCC treatment modalities and compare treatment outcomes based on invasion. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The authors performed a systematic review of articles published on PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus from inception to April 2020 reporting treatment of nSCC. The primary outcome was disease recurrence. RESULTS: Reports of nSCC treatments have increased in the past decade. Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is the most common treatment reported overall. The lowest recurrence rates for in situ nSCC were seen with wide surgical excision (WSE) and MMS. For invasive disease, the recurrence rates were lowest with amputation, MMS, and WSE. CONCLUSION: Complete surgical excision of nSCC with either WSE or MMS is associated with lower recurrence rates than limited excision and nonsurgical therapies, regardless of degree of invasion. The prognostic significance of in situ versus invasive disease remains unclear. Confirmation of complete excision may improve outcomes. Digital amputation is indicated for nSCC with bone invasion. Prospective studies and randomized controlled trials are needed to directly compare surgical modalities for nSCC.

Oncolytic Virotherapy for Melanoma Brain Metastases, a Potential New Treatment Paradigm?

INTRODUCTION: Melanoma brain metastases remain a devastating disease process with poor prognosis. Recently, there has been a surge in studies demonstrating the efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy for brain tumor treatment. Given their specificity and amenability to genetic modification, the authors explore the possible role of oncolytic virotherapy as a potential treatment option for patients with melanoma brain metastases. METHODS: A comprehensive literature review including both preclinical and clinical evidence of oncolytic virotherapy for the treatment of melanoma brain metastasis was performed. RESULTS: Oncolytic virotherapy, specifically T-VEC (Imlygic™), was approved for the treatment of melanoma in 2015. Recent clinical trials demonstrate promising anti-tumor changes in patients who have received T-VEC; however, there is little evidence for its use in metastatic brain disease based on the existing literature. To date, only two single cases utilizing virotherapy in patients with metastatic brain melanoma have been reported, specifically in patients with treatment refractory disease. Currently, there is not sufficient data to support the use of T-VEC or other viruses for intracranial metastatic melanoma. In developing a virotherapy treatment paradigm for melanoma brain metastases, several factors must be considered, including route of administration, need to bypass the blood-brain barrier, viral tumor infectivity, and risk of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence for oncolytic virotherapy treatment of melanoma is limited primarily to T-VEC, with a noticeable paucity of data in the literature with respect to brain tumor metastasis. Given the promising findings of virotherapy for other brain tumor types, oncolytic virotherapy has great potential to offer benefits to patients afflicted with melanoma brain metastases and warrants further investigation.

Tumor primary site as a prognostic factor for Merkel cell carcinoma disease-specific death.

BACKGROUND: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) primary site has not been fully investigated as a potential prognostic factor. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence by tumor primary site of death due to MCC. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective analysis of the Survival, Epidemiology, and End Results database. MCC patients treated between 1973 and 2016 were grouped by tumor primary site and a competing risks analysis was performed to test the impact of primary site on disease-specific death. Cumulative incidence of Merkel cell carcinoma-specific mortality (CMMI) at 5 years was estimated for each primary site. RESULTS: Of 9407 MCC patients identified, 6305 (67.0%) had localized disease, 2397 (25.5%) had regional metastasis, and 705 (7.5%) had distant metastasis. Tumor primary site was predictive of CMMI and varied by stage at diagnosis. Tumors involving the scalp/neck carried the highest CMMI among localized MCC (26.0%). Tumors involving the lip had the highest CMMI among MCC with regional metastasis (56.7%) and distant metastasis (82.1%). LIMITATIONS: Tumor size data were missing for a large proportion of patients, precluding stratification by stage according to current American Joint Committee on Cancer guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Probability of MCC disease-specific death varies by primary site. The primary site of the tumor may be useful as a prognostic indicator for MCC.

Upstaging of melanoma in situ and lentigo maligna treated with Mohs micrographic surgery rarely results in additional surgical management.

As Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is more widely utilized for melanoma in situ (MIS) and lentigo maligna (LM), there is increasing concern over whether the procedure can negatively affect the treatment of upstaged tumors. Previous studies have shown that about 1-2% of MIS/LM treated with MMS require sentinel lymph node biopsy, but little is still known regarding surgical outcomes. We performed a retrospective chart review of 117 MIS/LM lesions treated with MMS at Brigham and Women's Hospital. We found a low rate of tumor upstaging (8.5% or 10/117), and only 1.7% (2/117) required wide local excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy. In both patients, there was successful location of the sentinel nodes by surgical oncologists. This study highlights the low risk of MIS/LM upstaging, with the majority changing to T1a, and the low need for further surgical management after MMS. Collaboration with other surgical specialties ensures appropriate management of patients with upstaged tumors.

Hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder: an EBV disease with a low risk of systemic illness in whites.

Patients with classic hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder (HVLPD) typically have high levels of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in T cells and/or natural killer (NK) cells in blood and skin lesions induced by sun exposure that are infiltrated with EBV-infected lymphocytes. HVLPD is very rare in the United States and Europe but more common in Asia and South America. The disease can progress to a systemic form that may result in fatal lymphoma. We report our 11-year experience with 16 HVLPD patients from the United States and England and found that whites were less likely to develop systemic EBV disease (1/10) than nonwhites (5/6). All (10/10) of the white patients were generally in good health at last follow-up, while two-thirds (4/6) of the nonwhite patients required hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Nonwhite patients had later age of onset of HVLPD than white patients (median age, 8 vs 5 years) and higher levels of EBV DNA (median, 1 515 000 vs 250 000 copies/ml) and more often had low numbers of NK cells (83% vs 50% of patients) and T-cell clones in the blood (83% vs 30% of patients). RNA-sequencing analysis of an HVLPD skin lesion in a white patient compared with his normal skin showed increased expression of interferon-γ and chemokines that attract T cells and NK cells. Thus, white patients with HVLPD were less likely to have systemic disease with EBV and had a much better prognosis than nonwhite patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00369421 and #NCT00032513.