Insurance status and level of education predict disparities in receipt of treatment and survival for anal squamous cell carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is relatively rare, but its incidence and mortality have been steadily climbing in marginalized populations. We explored the impact of insurance status, education, and income on survival and receipt of chemoradiation therapy. METHODS: We included patients with ASCC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database from 2004 to 2016. Socioeconomic variables included insurance status, level of education, income, and unemployment rate. Cox proportional hazards and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine predictors of survival and receipt of chemoradiation. RESULTS: We included a total of 10,868 cases of ASCC. The median age was 55, 10.4 % were black, and 65.4 % were female. Overall, 74.1 % of patients received combination chemoradiation. In multivariate analysis, poorer survival was found for Medicaid (HR 1.52, 95 % CI 1.34-1.74) and uninsured (HR 1.68, 95 % CI 1.35-2.10) patients, and for communities with the lowest rates of high school education (HR 1.17, 95 % CI 1.02-1.38), lowest income (HR 1.29, 95 % CI 1.08-1.54), and highest unemployment (HR 1.21, 95 % CI 1.03-1.40). Patients were less likely to receive combination treatment if they were black (OR 0.76, 95 % CI 0.55-0.92), had Medicaid insurance (OR 0.54, 95 % CI 0.33-0.88) or lower education (OR 0.59, 95 % CI 0.46-0.76). CONCLUSION: Insurance status, level of education, income, and employment impact survival and receipt of treatment in patients with ASCC. Identifying high risk patients and developing targeted interventions to improve access to treatment is integral to reducing these disparities and improving cancer survival.

Human papillomavirus vaccine trials and tribulations: Vaccine efficacy.

As of December 2014, there were 3 approved vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV): bivalent Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline, New York, NY), quadrivalent Gardasil (Merck and Co, Kenilworth, NJ), and 9-valent Gardasil-9 (Merck and Co). The average cost per dose is $120, with a recommended 3-dose course. The quadrivalent vaccine is the most widely administered worldwide. As with the bivalent and 9-valent vaccines, the vaccine is considered safe, although concerns have been raised. In addition to immunization against the targeted HPV types, there is evidence that there is cross protection against other types of HPV. This continuing medical education review evaluates the differences in vaccines that are currently on the market; part II focuses on the cost-effectiveness of vaccination, the HPV vaccination programs currently instituted around the globe, efficacy, and safety.

Multidisciplinary approach to R&D in vitiligo, a neglected skin disease.

A global interest in therapies for neglected diseases is rising, but traditional biopharma research and development (R&D) process is prohibitively expensive to justify cost of their development. Vitiligo is a multifactorial orphan disease that affects at minimum 35 million people worldwide, yet no therapeutic solutions exist. The present authors describe a budget-minded pursuit of the new therapy development for vitiligo, which includes a multidiscipline collaboration and effective bridging between academic research, biobanking, and bioinformatics. The present authors anticipate that the present authors' "theoretically induced and empirically guided" discovery process will enable development of more leads, with a much greater probability of success and under tighter budgets compared with those of the biopharma company. Ultimately, the multidisciplinary approach described below facilitates the collaborative development of personalized treatments for different patient subpopulations in vitiligo and other neglected diseases.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis: cryosurgery using carbon dioxide slush in a resource-poor country.

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease seen most often in children and young adults, although it may occur at any age. In Yemen, up until now, specific treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has been challenging. Available chemotherapy is expensive and replete with significant side effects. Standard cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen is prohibitively expensive and often unavailable. The objective of this paper is to highlight the importance of cryosurgery with carbon dioxide slush in the treatment of CL in an economically underdeveloped region as a cost-effective, simple, successful, and affordable option.

Human herpes simplex virus infections: epidemiology, pathogenesis, symptomatology, diagnosis, and management.

Eight of the more than 80 known herpesviruses are human pathogens. Human herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a contagious infection with a large reservoir in the general population. It has a potential for significant complications in the immunocompromised host. In addition, psychological distress caused by the negative stigma associated with genital herpes and visible facial lesions in those experiencing frequent outbreaks renders it a challenging clinical dilemma. This article reviews the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and diagnostic features of HSV infections, providing the clinician with an up-to-date understanding of the available management strategies for mucocutaneous HSV-induced disease.