SPECTREM Phase 3b Clinical Trial Results Through Week 16: Guselkumab Efficacy and Safety for the Treatment of Low Body Surface Area, Moderate Psoriasis With High-Impact Site Involvement.

Background: Patients with psoriasis affecting a low percentage of their body surface area (BSA) are underrepresented in clinical studies and may face substantial disease burden if high-impact sites are affected.

Objectives: SPECTREM is a Phase 3b, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluating guselkumab efficacy and safety in participants with low BSA (2%-15%), moderate (Investigator's Global Assessment [IGA]=3) plaque psoriasis involving ≥1 high-impact site (scalp, face, genitals, intertriginous areas).

Methods: Eligible participants were randomized 2:1 to receive guselkumab 100 mg or placebo at Week 0 and Week 4, then every 8 weeks.

Guselkumab for Moderate to Severe Psoriasis Across All Skin Tones: Cohort A of the VISIBLE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Data and educational gaps in populations with skin of color contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in psoriasis treatment. Cohort A of the VISIBLE study includes participants with psoriasis who self-identify as belonging to a racial or ethnic category other than White, across the entire skin-tone spectrum.

Objective: To evaluate efficacy, quality of life, and adverse event outcomes among participants with moderate to severe psoriasis and skin of color who received guselkumab, 100 mg, for up to 48 weeks.

Guselkumab for Moderate to Severe Scalp Psoriasis Across All Skin Tones: Cohort B of the VISIBLE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Varying hair textures and hair care practices contribute to nuances in clinical presentation and management of scalp psoriasis across diverse patient populations. Cohort B of the VISIBLE trial enrolled participants with moderate to severe scalp psoriasis and skin of color, across the skin-tone spectrum.

Objective: To evaluate efficacy, quality of life, and adverse event outcomes of guselkumab, 100 mg, among participants with moderate to severe scalp psoriasis and skin of color over 48 weeks.

Patient-Reported Outcomes by Baseline Body Surface Area Involvement Among Individuals Initiating Biologic Therapy: Results from the CorEvitas Psoriasis Registry.

Introduction: Psoriasis body surface area (BSA) of 10% or more has been a major criterion for determining systemic therapy eligibility. However, patients with BSA < 10% and even ≤ 3% may have high disease burden and difficulties accessing biologics. To assess psoriasis burden among patients with BSA ≤ 10%, this study characterized patient-reported outcomes (PROs) across BSA categories among systemic treatment-naïve patients initiating biologic therapy.

Improving Diversity in a Novel Psoriasis Study: VISIBLE as a Framework for Clinical Trial Quality Improvement.

Importance: Diverse racial and ethnic representation in clinical trials has been limited, not representative of the US population, and the subject of pending US Food and Drug Administration guidance. Psoriasis presentation and disease burden can vary by skin pigmentation, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic differences. Overall, there are limited primary data on clinical response, genetics, and quality of life in populations with psoriasis and skin of color (SoC).

A review of non-pharmacologic approaches to enhance the patient experience in dermatologic surgery.

Efforts to increase patient comfort by minimizing pain and anxiety have been shown to improve clinical outcomes, reduce pain thresholds, decrease analgesic requirements and complication risk, strengthen the physician-patient relationship, and increase overall patient satisfaction. Patients also have a strong preference for patient-centered communication and educational discussion with physicians. In recent years, the increasing emphasis on patient experience scores as a metric for quality care has had significant implications for physician practice and has reinforced attempts to provide more patient-centered care.

Remote-onset alopecia areata attributed to ipilimumab.

Ipilimumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and one of a growing class of immunomodulatory therapies for melanoma. The most common toxicities are immune-related adverse effects (irAEs), which manifest most frequently in the skin as rash and pruritus. We report a case of alopecia areata (AA) attributed to ipilimumab that presented 1.

Topical 5-fluorouracil in dermatologic disease.

Background: 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has proven to be an effective therapy in the treatment of a variety of dermatologic conditions. Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of actinic keratoses and superficial basal cell carcinoma, topical 5-FU has also demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of a variety of other dermatologic diseases.

Methods: A search of the MEDLINE standard computer database, MEDLINE advanced database, and EMBASE database was conducted.

Gender differences in melanoma prognostic factors.

Background: Although previous studies identify gender differences in melanoma, limited research on the phenomenon exists.

Methods: In this retrospective chart review, 1,156 adults diagnosed with melanoma, between 2006-2016, at the University of Colorado were included. Breslow depth, mitotic rate, ulceration status, and location were extracted from charts between March and August 2016.

Performance of a computer-aided digital dermoscopic image analyzer for melanoma detection in 1,076 pigmented skin lesion biopsies.

Background: Digital dermoscopic image analysis of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs) has become increasingly popular, despite its unclear clinical utility. Unbiased, high-powered studies investigating the efficacy of commercially available systems are limited.

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic performance of the FotoFinder Mole-Analyzer in assessing PSLs for cutaneous melanoma.

Intralesional and Laser-Assisted 5-Fluorouracil in Dermatologic Disease: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: 5-fluorouracil has proven to be an effective therapy in the treatment of a variety of dermatologic conditions. Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the topical treatment of actinic keratoses and superficial basal cell carcinoma, 5-fluorouracil has also demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of a variety of other dermatologic diseases. While best known for its use as a topical medication, 5-fluorouracil can also be delivered intralesionally for the treatment of dermatologic disease.

Greater distance to an academic medical center is associated with poorer melanoma prognostic factors: The University of Colorado Experience.

Introduction: Numerous studies report a correlation between distance to diagnostic provider in an academic medical center and poorer prognosis ofdisease. Limited research on this topic exists with respect to melanoma.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of 1,463 adults (≥18 years) initially diagnosed with melanoma between 2006-2016.

Fascial dehiscence after trauma laparotomy: a sign of intra-abdominal sepsis.

Fascial dehiscence (FD) after trauma laparotomy is associated with technical failure, wound sepsis, or intra-abdominal infection (IAI). The association of IAI with FD is inadequately evaluated. Knowing about its presence is essential to guide clinical diagnosis and management.