Neoadjuvant PD-1 Inhibitors: A Tale of Two Cases.

Treatment responses for locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) are often short lived and are marred with recurrences. The introduction of adjuvant PD-1 inhibitors has demonstrated significant improvement in both, response rates, and duration of response. For patients with high-risk resectable disease, adjuvant treatments have not demonstrated an ability to reduce recurrence risk. However, there is an opportunity in the neoadjuvant setting to alter recurrence risk. Here we dem-onstrate two cases of neoadjuvant treatment of cSCC and MCC with impressive results.  J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(2):     doi:10.36849/JDD.7043e.

Cutaneous ganglioneuroma: A case report and discussion of the literature.

Ganglioneuromas (GNs) are benign tumors composed of ganglion cells in a Schwannian stroma. They are derived from neural crest cells that give rise to the sympathetic nervous system. Hence, GNs can be found anywhere a sympathetic ganglion is present. Most commonly, GNs are found in the posterior mediastinum and abdominal cavity. Within the abdominal cavity, they are most likely to be found in the retroperitoneal space or adrenal glands. Cutaneous involvement is uncommon and rarely reported in literature. We report an interesting case of a cutaneous ganglioneuroma on the abdomen of an 83-year-old male.

Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy on Patient-Selected Lesions Concerning for Skin Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Access to dermatologists is limited in parts of the US, making primary care clinicians (PCCs) integral for early detection of skin cancers. A handheld device using elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) was developed to aid PCCs in their clinical assessment of skin lesions. METHODS: In this prospective study, 3 PCCs evaluated skin lesions reported by patients as concerning and scanned each lesion with the handheld ESS device. The comparison was pathology results or a 3-dermatologist panel examining high resolution dermatoscopic and clinical images. PCCs reported their diagnosis, management decision, and confidence level for each lesion. Evaluation of results included sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), positive predictive value (PPV), and Area Under the Curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 155 patients and 178 lesions were included in the final analysis. The most commonly patient-reported concerning feature was "new or changing lesion" (91.6%). Device diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 90.0% and 60.7%, respectively, based on biopsy result or dermatologist panel reference standard; comparatively, PCC sensitivity was 40.0% and 84.8% specificity without the use of the device. Device NPV was 98.9%, and device PPV was 13.6%. The device recommended patient referral to dermatology with 88.2% concordance with the dermatologist panel. AUC for the device and PCCs were 0.815 and 0.643, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the ESS device by PCCs can improve diagnostic and management sensitivity for select malignant skin lesions by correctly classifying most benign lesions of patient concern. This may increase skin cancer detection while improving access to specialist care.

Progression of Discoid Lupus to Lupus Panniculitis: An Unexplained and Likely Underreported Phenomenon.

Lupus erythematosus is a multiorgan disorder with a wide variance of clinical presentations. Disease processes are generally divided into systemic or cutaneous categories, with cutaneous findings being further subdivided into acute, subacute, and chronic variants. The chronic form of cutaneous lupus itself has multiple subsets. We present the case of a young woman who developed two forms of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE) and, eventually, progressive systemic symptoms.

A Comprehensive Review of Local Pharmacologic Therapy for Pyoderma Gangrenosum.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, ulcerative inflammatory skin disease that most commonly occurs in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatologic diseases, or hematologic diseases. Successful treatment of PG often requires immunosuppression and appropriate wound care. Systemic corticosteroids and cyclosporine are the first-line treatments for PG. However, chronic use of these systemic agents places patients at risk for developing significant side effects, including hyperglycemia, osteoporosis, hypertension, and weight gain. Furthermore, when treating small or superficial PG ulcers, the use of local agents as monotherapies or adjuvant treatments can be ideal to control inflammation and promote healing without placing the patient at risk for many severe side effects that can be seen with long-term use of systemic agents. This literature review assesses all available local therapies in order to summarize the use and reported efficaciousness of the broad range of local treatments available for PG.