A national survey comparing practice patterns and residency training satisfaction for categorical dermatology versus combined internal medicine and dermatology trained physicians.

Combined internal medicine and dermatology (med-derm) training programs were created to advance complex medical dermatology and inpatient dermatology care. A prior study demonstrated that compared to categorical dermatology residents, med-derm residents had less program satisfaction, yet indicated a stronger desire to pursue careers in academia. No follow-up data on practice patterns after training has been reported. We aimed to characterize differences in residency program satisfaction and practice patterns between physicians trained in categorical dermatology compared to med-derm residency programs. We surveyed physicians who graduated from combined med-derm programs along with their counterparts, from six institutions, that either currently or historically had a combined med-derm training, from 2008-2017. Fifty-five percent of med-derm and forty-one percent of categorical-trained physicians responded. The practice patterns between the two groups were similar. A quarter of med-derm physicians continued to provide general internal medicine services. Categorical trained physicians were significantly more satisfied with their training (P=0.03) and performed more excisions on the head/neck (P=0.02). The combined graduates had significantly greater confidence in multidisciplinary care (P=0.003), prescribed more biologic (P<0.001) and non-biologic immunosuppressive agents (P=0.002), and volunteered more for the underserved patients in their communities (P=0.04). Although few differences in overall practice patterns between categorical and med-derm trained graduates were appreciated, med-derm graduates seem more comfortable with multidisciplinary care and may care for more medically complex patients requiring immunosuppression.

Development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma after prolonged exposure to pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and hand-foot syndrome: a newly recognized toxicity.

Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) can be administered for prolonged periods with minimal toxicity. The risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with this therapy has not been reported. We describe cutaneous SCC of the plantar foot in two patients exposed to high doses of PLD. A 50-year-old man with angiosarcoma received a total PLD dose of 1350 mg/m2 and developed cutaneous SCC of bilateral plantar feet. A 45-year-old woman with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma was treated with a total PLD dose of 1142 mg/m2 with subsequent diagnosis of cutaneous SCC of the right plantar foot. No risk factors for SCC of the plantar foot were identified in either patient. Cutaneous SCC is likely an unreported side effect of prolonged exposure to PLD. An extended duration of hand-foot syndrome from other anti-cancer drugs may also share this risk. Regular complete skin examination with early intervention for suspicious lesions is indicated in this patient population.

Skin-Directed Therapies in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma.

Early stage mycosis fungoides represents the most common clinical presentation of cutaneous lymphoma, with skin-directed therapies long established in its treatment. These therapies continue to change as new treatment regimens emerge. Other skin-directed treatments include light and radiation therapy. Therapies with higher levels of evidence and less systemic toxicity are usually preferred as first-line treatment. However, even these established therapies, like topical corticosteroids and carmustine, lack randomized clinical trials to establish their efficacy. Research is also needed to further define the role of combination topical therapies and how skin-directed therapies can be used as adjuvants to systemic medications.

Accuracy of teledermatology for pigmented neoplasms.

BACKGROUND: Accurate diagnosis and management of pigmented lesions is critical because of the morbidity and mortality associated with melanoma. OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare accuracy of store-and-forward teledermatology for pigmented neoplasms with standard, in-person clinic dermatology. METHODS: We conducted a repeated measures equivalence trial involving veterans with pigmented skin neoplasms. Each lesion was evaluated by a clinic dermatologist and a teledermatologist; both generated a primary diagnosis, up to two differential diagnoses, and a management plan. The primary outcome was aggregated diagnostic accuracy (match of any chosen diagnosis with histopathology). We also compared the severity of inappropriately managed lesions and, for teledermatology, evaluated the incremental change in accuracy when polarized light dermatoscopy or contact immersion dermatoscopy images were viewed. RESULTS: We enrolled 542 patients with pigmented lesions, most were male (96%) and Caucasian (97%). The aggregated diagnostic accuracy rates for teledermatology (macro images, polarized light dermatoscopy, and contact immersion dermatoscopy) were not equivalent (95% confidence interval for difference within +/-10%) and were inferior (95% confidence interval lower bound <10%) to clinic dermatology. In general, the addition of dermatoscopic images did not significantly change teledermatology diagnostic accuracy rates. In contrast to diagnostic accuracy, rates of appropriate management plans for teledermatology were superior and/or equivalent to clinic dermatology (all image types: all lesions, and benign lesions). However, for the subgroup of malignant lesions (n = 124), the rate of appropriate management was significantly worse for teledermatology than for clinic dermatology (all image types). Up to 7 of 36 index melanomas would have been mismanaged via teledermatology. LIMITATIONS: Nondiverse study population and relatively small number of melanomas were limitations. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the diagnostic accuracy of teledermatology was inferior whereas management was equivalent to clinic dermatology. However, for the important subgroup of malignant pigmented lesions, both diagnostic and management accuracy of teledermatology was generally inferior to clinic dermatology and up to 7 of 36 index melanomas would have been mismanaged via teledermatology. Teledermatology and teledermatoscopy should be used with caution for patients with suspected malignant pigmented lesions.

Accuracy of teledermatology for nonpigmented neoplasms.

BACKGROUND: Studies of teledermatology utilizing the standard reference of histopathology are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To compare accuracy of store-and-forward teledermatology for non-pigmented neoplasms with in-person dermatology. METHODS: This study was a repeated-measures equivalence trial involving veterans with non-pigmented skin neoplasms. Each lesion was evaluated by an in-person dermatologist and a teledermatologist; both generated a primary diagnosis, up to two differential diagnoses, and management plan. The primary outcome was aggregated diagnostic accuracy (percent correct matches of any chosen diagnosis with histopathology). Secondary outcomes included management plan accuracy (percent correct matches with expert panel management plan). Additional analyses included evaluation of the incremental effect of using polarized light dermatoscopy in addition to standard macro images, and evaluating benign and malignant lesion subgroups separately. RESULTS: Most of the 728 participants were male (97.8%) and Caucasian (98.9%). The aggregated diagnostic accuracy (primary outcome) of teledermatology (macro images) was not equivalent (95% confidence interval [CI] for difference within +/-10%) and was inferior (95% CI lower bound <10%) to in-person dermatology for all lesions and the subgroups of benign and malignant lesions. However, management plan accuracy was equivalent. Teledermatology aggregated diagnostic accuracy using polarized light dermatoscopy was significantly better than for macro images alone (P = .0017). The addition of polarized light dermatoscopy showed the same pattern for malignant lesions, but not for benign lesions. Most interestingly, for malignant lesions, the addition of polarized light dermatoscopy yielded equivalent aggregated diagnostic accuracy rates. LIMITATIONS: Non-diverse study population. CONCLUSIONS: Using macro images, the diagnostic accuracy of teledermatology was inferior to in-person dermatology, but accuracy of management plans was equivalent. The addition of polarized light dermatoscopy yielded significantly better aggregated diagnostic accuracy, but management plan accuracy was not significantly improved. For the important subgroup of malignant lesions, the addition of polarized light dermatoscopy yielded equivalent diagnostic accuracy between teledermatologists and clinic dermatologists.

Black-spot poison ivy.

In black-spot poison ivy dermatitis, a black lacquerlike substance forms on the skin when poison ivy resin is exposed to air. Although the Toxicodendron group of plants is estimated to be the most common cause of allergic contact dermatitis in the United States, black-spot poison ivy dermatitis is relatively rare.

Coordinate stabilization of growth-regulatory transcripts in T cell malignancies.

We used microarray technology to compare mRNA decay rates of approximately 7000 transcripts in normal purified human T lymphocytes or the malignant T cell lines Jurkat and H9 following transcriptional arrest with actinomycin D. We found that over 2000 transcripts were expressed at abnormal levels in malignant T cells, including approximately 100 transcripts that were overexpressed and exhibited abnormally stable mRNA. Seventeen transcripts that encoded components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system were coordinately overexpressed and stabilized in both malignant cell lines. This pathway plays an important role in regulating cell growth and the development of malignancy. Numerous additional transcripts that encode proteins involved in growth regulation, damage repair and stress responses, posttranscriptional gene expression, and mitochondrial metabolism were also coordinately up-regulated and stabilized. Overall, our results suggest that abnormal mRNA stabilization in malignancy can lead to the overexpression of growth-regulatory genes and contribute to the malignant phenotype.

New biologic therapies for psoriatic disease.

Psoriasis is a common cutaneous disease that can have a profound effect on an individual's life. New biologic drugs--proteins that are synthesized using recombinant DNA technology to mimic naturally occurring molecules and that selectively target the immune system--have changed the paradigm for treating this disease. We review 4 biologic drugs that are either currently FDA approved or in phase 3 studies: Alefacept (Amevive) and efalizumab (Raptiva), which are T-cell modulators; etanercept (Enbrel), a soluble TNF receptor; and infliximab (Remicade), an anti-TNF monoclonal antibody.