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Dermatology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in dermatology.

Cosentyx Gets FDA Nod for Psoriasis

Anti-IL17 drug secukinumab OK'd for moderate-to-severe disease.

Make the Diagnosis: Back Lesion Worries Derm's Wife

A middle-aged couple comes into your office. The wife is concerned about a strange looking growth on her husbands upper back that she feels has been stable for the past two years. She tells you that her husband is a dermatologist, but rarely uses sunscreen despite all the advice he gives his patients. The husband tells you that he would like to be a back model again someday if you could just get rid of this growth. What's your diagnosis?

Antibodies Predict Scleroderma Renal Crisis

Antibody test aids assessing risk for this potentially lethal complication.

Otezla Benefit Durable in PsA

Benefits persist through 2 years with apremilast in psoriatic arthritis.

Joints Tell the Future in Scleroderma

Synovitis predicted progression in skin, vasculature, and kidney.

Derms Want NP/PA Practice Limits

NPs and PAs who bill Medicaid as independent practitioners are more likely to bill for a dermatology visit than for any other office-based service -- so much so that in 2012, 55% of their Medicaid billings were for derm codes, to which dermatologists claim scope of practice violations.

New Melanomas Likely to Recur at Same Rate

CHICAGO -- A diagnosis of in situ or invasive melanoma conferred a similar long-term risk of invasive melanoma recurrence, a 40-year retrospective review showed.

Smoking Worsens Psoriatic Arthritis

Patients with psoriatic arthritis who smoke have worse patient-reported disease features at baseline and don't respond as well as nonsmokers to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment, a Danish study found.

Estrogen Alone May Not Suppress Testosterone

CHICAGO -- Simply giving estrogen to male-to-female transgender patients won't completely suppress testosterone levels, researchers reported here.

AMA Clamps Down on MOC, But Punts on Gun Regs

CHICAGO -- The AMA鈥檚 House of Delegates drew the line on this year's hot button topic -- maintenance of certification (MOC), saying it should not be mandatory, nor should it be a condition of licensure.

ASCO: Targeting PD-1 Works in Advanced Melanoma

CHICAGO -- Two studies indicate that using investigative immunotherapy drugs improves survival and response in patients with metastatic melanoma, researchers said here.

ASCO: Ipilimumab Cuts Relapse but Safety Issues Remain

CHICAGO -- High-risk melanoma patients have a reduced level of relapse if they are taking the monoclonal antibody ipilimumab (Yervoy) when compared with placebo, researchers said here.

OncoBriefs: Myeloma Tx, In Situ Melanoma

Superficial melanoma conferred a risk of recurrent invasive melanoma similar to that of primary invasive melanoma, Australian investigators reported. The study is one of several oncology-related news items summarized in OncoBriefs.

Severe Eczema Eases with Novel Biologic

SAN DIEGO -- The novel monoclonal antibody dupilumab dramatically cut the severity of moderate-to-severe adult atopic dermatitis, a phase II trial showed.

Medtronic Sued by 1,000 Infuse Patients

Medtronic said about 1,000 people have sued the company over its bone morphogenetic protein-2 product, Infuse, and that many more lawsuits may be coming.

Bodybuilders Bulk Up Using ... Cancer Drugs?

While steroids are all-stars among performance-enhancing drugs, breast cancer drugs are a lesser-known staple of doping regimens, as are some investigational agents that aren't available on any regulated market.

Prime Time: Skin Docs Name 5 Unnecessary Procedures

The American Academy of Dermatology joined more than 80 other medical societies in the Choosing Wisely campaign, naming five treatments or procedures that may not be necessary. Prime Time is a blog by Chris Kaiser for those interested in primary care.

Antidepressants, Lyrica OK Combo in Fibromyalgia

SAN DIEGO -- Patients with fibromyalgia who were taking antidepressants found that their pain was successfully managed with pregabalin (Lyrica), a researcher said here.

Few Lupus, IBD Patients Getting HPV Vaccine

SAN DIEGO -- Despite being at greater risk of infection, few children and young adults with autoimmune diseases are being vaccinated against human papillomavirus, according to a study.

Losing a Tattoo, Gaining a Tumor

An unintended consequence of laser tattoo removal in a 29-year-old man was a diagnosis of malignant melanoma, according to a German case report.

Wounds Heal Better When Debrided Often

Faster and more complete wound healing was achieved with more frequent debridement regardless of wound type, size, or duration, researchers found.

Itching: No Big Deal in Most Cases But ...

Summer usually brings with it plenty of causes for itching, most of which are annoying but not indicative of serious health problems.

Medicare to Pay for More FDG-PET Scans

WASHINGTON -- Up to three scans using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-enhanced positron emission tomography technology can be covered by Medicare for oncology treatment planning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.

ASCO: Herpes-Derived Tx for Melanoma?

CHICAGO -- Intralesional injection of an oncolytic therapy significantly increased the durable response rate in advanced melanoma compared with a control therapy, according to results of a randomized trial.

ASCO: Immune Therapy Durable in Melanoma

CHICAGO -- A therapy aimed at reviving the immune response to advanced melanoma generated durable responses in long-term follow-up of an early clinical trial, a researcher said here.

Tattoo Me: Tales of Regret and No Regrets

MIAMI BEACH -- Almost a third of people with tattoos regretted the decision to get body art, particularly men who obtained tattoos at a young age, a survey of more than 500 tattoo owners showed.

Lichen Planus in Ear Not Uncommon

MIAMI BEACH -- The autoimmune disease lichen planus may affect the ear more commonly than previously thought, researchers reported here.

UVB Exposure May Boost Low Vitamin D

MIAMI BEACH -- Narrowband UVB therapy may be a better treatment for vitamin D deficiency than supplementation, Swedish researchers reported here.

Novel Drug Works in Psoriasis

MIAMI BEACH -- An investigational phosphodiestirase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor may improve psoriasis, particularly in patients who haven't previously been treated, researchers reported here.

IL-4 Antibody Tames Atopic Dermatitis

MIAMI BEACH -- Atopic dermatitis disease activity declined significantly in patients treated with a monoclonal antibody directed against interleukin-4, according to pooled data from preliminary clinical trials.

Melanoma Tx Ups Survival, but Very Pricey

LAS VEGAS -- The oral BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib (Zelboraf) increased survival in patients with metastatic melanoma, but the cost may not justify its use in a state Medicaid program, an analysis suggested.

Smokers Have Higher Squamous Cell Skin Ca Risk

Smokers have a more than 50% increase in risk for squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, and the risk remained elevated, even among those who'd kicked the habit, researchers found.

Prolia Linked to Serious Skin Side Effects

RALEIGH, N.C. -- More than 40 serious cutaneous adverse events linked to the osteoporosis formulation of denosumab (Prolia) were discovered in a review of FDA records, investigators reported here.

OTC Bug Bite Remedies of Little Help

Treating simple bug bites isn't usually necessary and there's little evidence to support doing so, a review warned.

Doctors Say 45 Common Tests 'Overused'

Nine specialty groups have listed tests and treatments that are frequently overused, such as antibiotics for sinus attacks and CT scans for low back pain, in the first phase of a long-term project.

Clinical Notes: Beware the Seat Heater

番茄社区 debuts a new regular feature, a roundup of clinical news you might otherwise have missed. This week we led with a report that heated car seats can leave passengers with "toasted skin syndrome."

Clindamycin Works Better for Skin Infections in Kids

For children with skin and soft tissue infections, clindamycin is the antibiotic of choice for empiric treatment, researchers found.

OTC Wart Remover Yanked Because of Burn Risk

An OTC wart remover product has been recalled by its manufacturer after the company learned that its active ingredient -- calcium oxide -- can cause severe chemical burns, the FDA announced.

SID: No Skin Cancer Risk Seen With Prednisone

PHOENIX -- Use of systemic corticosteroids did not increase the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer in a prospective study, contradicting previous evidence from several retrospective studies, investigators reported here.

Severe Acne Responds to Combo Therapy

Patients with severe acne had significantly greater improvement when topical adapalene/benzoyl peroxide (Epiduo) was added to oral doxycycline, according to results of a randomized clinical trial.

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