Considering a Biologic: What's a Clinician to Do? Screening and Laboratory Monitoring for Biologic Therapies in the Treatment of Psoriasis.

Biologic therapies have revolutionized the treatment of psoriasis; however, these immunomodulatory therapies may increase the risk of reactivation of latent and chronic infections. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors, in particular, have been associated with the increased risk of reactivation of tuberculosis (TB) in patients with latent TB, as well as hepatitis B virus (HBV), in patients with chronic HBV infections. Currently, baseline TB tests are the only screening tests supported with strong evidence. High-grade evidence for HBV screening tests is lacking; however, these tests are sometimes performed in clinical practice. We describe current recommendations for screening tests prior to the initiation of biologic therapy.

Tumor mutational burden and somatic mutation status to predict disease recurrence in advanced melanoma.

Tumor mutational burden (TMB) has recently been identified as a biomarker of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in many cancers, including melanoma. Co-assessment of TMB with inflammatory markers and genetic mutations may better predict disease outcomes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential for TMB and somatic mutations in combination to predict the recurrence of disease in advanced melanoma. A retrospective review of 85 patients with stage III or IV melanoma whose tumors were analyzed by next-generation sequencing was conducted. Fisher's exact test was used to assess differences in TMB category by somatic mutation status as well as recurrence locations. Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox-proportional regression model were used for survival analyses. The most frequently detected mutations were TERT (32.9%), CDKN2A (28.2%), KMT2 (25.9%), BRAF V600E (24.7%), and NRAS (24.7%). Patients with TMB-L + BRAFWT status were more likely to have a recurrence [hazard ratio (HR), 3.43; confidence interval (CI), 1.29-9.15; P = 0.01] compared to TMB-H + BRAF WT. Patients with TMB-L + NRASmut were more likely to have a recurrence (HR, 5.29; 95% CI, 1.44-19.45; P = 0.01) compared to TMB-H + NRAS WT. TMB-L tumors were associated with local (P = 0.029) and in-transit (P = 0.004) recurrences. Analysis of TMB alone may be insufficient in understanding the relationship between melanoma's molecular profile and the body's immune system. Classification into BRAFmut, NRASmut, and tumor mutational load groups may aid in identifying patients who are more likely to have disease recurrence in advanced melanoma.

Considering a Biologic: What's a Clinician to Do? Management of Biologics in Surgery, Vaccinations, and Cancer.

In the past two decades, biologic therapy has become ubiquitous in the treatment of psoriasis; however, important considerations should be taken with regard to biologic use in the context of surgery, vaccinations, and cancers. With conflicting evidence on the effects of perioperative biologic use, we recommend withholding tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor therapy for one dose prior to surgical procedures.1 Although no studies have shown a direct link between live vaccines and infection in patients receiving biologics, due to the theoretical risk of live vaccines producing infection in patients with altered immune responses, we recommend withholding biologic therapy for 4 to 5 half-lives prior to the administration of live or live-attenuated vaccines.2,3 Finally, although an increased rate of cancer recurrence has not been demonstrated with biologic use, experts recommend withholding biologic therapy for 2 years after the completion of treatment for invasive cancers and 5 years after the completion of treatment for aggressive malignancies (including melanomas, breast cancers, sarcomas, urinary tract cancers, and myelomas)4; however, exceptions should be considered depending on the patient's circumstances and severity of the psoriasis. (SKINmed. 2021;19:17-0).

Painful Abdominal Outpouching in an Adult Male.

Post-herpetic abdominal pseudohernia is a neurologic complication of herpes zoster resulting from paresis of the abdominal wall muscles ipsilateral to the eruption. This poorly known condition may raise suspicion for true abdominal wall hernia or other concerning etiologies, resulting in extensive work-up and imaging. Post-herpetic abdominal pseudohernia is a relatively benign condition, which resolves spontaneously in the majority of cases. Therefore, it is important for the clinician to be aware of this complication in order to avoid unnecessary imaging or excessive management, which may increase the cost of care and burden to the patient.

Indeterminate Cell Histiocytosis Mimicking Rosacea.

Indeterminate cell histiocytosis (ICH) is a rare proliferative disorder of histiocytes, which display morphologic and immunophenotypic characteristics of both Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) and non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis (NLCH). We describe an unusual clinical presentation of ICH mimicking rosacea and provide a relevant review of the literature.