Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery

Hidradenitis suppurativa is uncommon in patients of pediatric age, and differentiation with adult-onset disease is controversial. Treatment of pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa is scarcely standardized, and specific guidelines are lacking.

We report the clinical features, relevant risk-factors, comorbidity profile, and treatment patterns of a hospital-based cohort of pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa

In a cross-sectional study data on patients’ demographics, disease-specific characteristics, early/pre-pubertal onset of disease, comorbidities, and treatment management were retrieved. Reference population data and clinical data from the national hidradenitis suppurativa disease registry were used for comparison.

From a database of 870 patients with hidradenitis, 71 (15 males and 56 females) patients aged <18 years (mean age: 15.3 years; range 8-17 years), with mild (Hurley I, 45.1%) and moderate-severe disease (Hurley II-III, 54.9%), were retrieved. Smoking (23.9%) and overweight/obese frequencies (59.2%) were higher than reference population standards. Patient’s older age at baseline (OR 1.43, 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.02) and higher BMI (OR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.07–1.48) were the only factors associated with moderate-severe disease. Family history and early/pre-pubertal onset of disease were not associated with severity or extent of disease. Sebaceous-follicular comorbid conditions were associated with cigarette smoking (P = .002). Among 81 treatment courses, clindamycin-based and zinc-sulphate-based combination regimens were most frequently used (59.3%). Female preponderance, family history of disease and extensive involvement were significantly different from the general hidradenitis suppurativa population.

Pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa presents a clinical spectrum comparable to adult-onset disease. Increased preventive measures should target obesity and smoking in this population.

During the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Division of Dermatology, University of Ottawa, adapted pre-existing local healthcare infrastructures to provide increased provider-to-provider teledermatology services as well as integrated teledermatology into the dermatology residency training program.

(1) To assess the differences in utilization of provider-to-provider teledermatology services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (2) to assess dermatology resident and faculty experiences with the integration of teledermatology into dermatology residency training at the University of Ottawa.

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis comparing provider-to-provider teledermatology consults submitted to dermatologists from April 2019 to October 2019 pre-pandemic with the same period during the pandemic in 2020. Two different questionnaires were also disseminated to the dermatology residents and faculty at our institution inquiring about their perspectives on teledermatology, education, and practice.

The number of dermatologists completing consults, the number of providers submitting a case to Dermatology, and the number of consults initiated all increased during the pandemic period. Ninety-one percent of residents agreed that eConsults and teledermatology enhanced their residency education, enabled continuation of training during the pandemic, and that eConsult-based training should be incorporated into the curriculum. Ninety-six percent of staff incorporated a virtual dermatology practice model, and one-third used teledermatology with residents during the pandemic. Most staff felt there was value in providing virtual visits in some capacity during the pandemic.

Our study confirms that the use of teledermatology services continues to increase accessibility during the pandemic. Teledermatology enhances the education and training of residents and will be incorporated into dermatology residency programs.

Vismodegib is a novel Hedgehog pathway inhibitor that has revolutionized the treatment of patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) who are poor candidates for surgery or radiation. Few studies have explored the use of vismodegib to facilitate further surgery or radiotherapy, and the optimal treatment duration to balance outcomes with adverse effects.

To characterize the disease response, progression, and recurrence outcomes of BCC patients, and to report the impact of subsequent therapies.

We performed a retrospective study of 46 adult patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma (aBCC), including both locally advanced (laBCC) and metastatic (mBCC) disease, treated with vismodegib at a single center from 2012 to 2019.

Thirty-six had laBCC, and 10 had mBCC. Treatment was given over a mean of 21.9 months. Twenty-three (50%) had a complete response (CR), and 19 (41.3%) achieved partial response (PR). Median time to maximal response was 5.3 months. Eleven (23.9%) had resected disease at median 17.2 months, and 11 patients (23.9%) received radiotherapy. Thirty-two (69.6%) experienced progressive disease after achievement of CR or PR. Among 17 CR patients, who stopped treatment, 14 (82.3%) experienced subsequent relapse; 6 (85%) attained a repeat response. Twenty (43.5%) discontinued treatment at least once due to adverse effects.

With a response rate of 91%, London Regional Cancer Center’s (LRCP)’s experience with vismodegib supports its effectiveness in treatment of aBCC. Moreover, a significant number of patients treated with vismodegib became amenable to surgery or radiotherapy. Toxicity remained an important factor that limited treatment duration.

Neonatal curettage of large to giant congenital melanocytic nevi (L-GCMN) is a simple, minimally invasive procedure typically performed within the first 2 weeks of life.

To retrospectively review our experience with serial curettage of L-GCMN in the neonatal period performed under local anesthesia and their long-term outcomes.

Curettage was performed by a single pediatric dermatologist on nine neonates with L-GCMN under local anesthetic and with oral analgesia between 2002 and 2016 in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Patient charts were reviewed retrospectively to assess patient and procedure characteristics, tolerability, safety, cosmetic and functional outcomes, and malignant transformation.

Patients were treated with an average of 6 curettage sessions (range 3 to 15) to remove the majority or entirety of the nevus. All patients tolerated local anesthesia well. The most common adverse event of the procedure was transient neutropenia. Two patients developed positive bacterial cultures without clinical signs of infection, treated with antibiotics. All curetted specimens demonstrated benign pathology. Patients were followed annually thereafter, for an average of 6 years. Eight patients with L-GCMN of the trunk had minimal to partial repigmentation with good cosmetic outcome. One patient had recurrence of a facial nevus. None of the patients developed cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Curettage appears to be a safe and effective treatment option for select cases of L-GCMNs of the trunk. We do not recommend the procedure for face or scalp CMN. This procedure can be performed under local anesthesia with serial curettage to avoid potential risks of general anesthesia.

Since its legalization in Canada, cannabis use has expanded to include commercially available topical formations. Several scientifically unsupported claims regarding the therapeutic efficacy of topical cannabis are also being made. Developing an understanding of the consumer uses of topical cannabis is important for clinicians to provide appropriate counseling and inform potential areas of therapeutic development. We are examining the prevalence, purpose of use, and sources of information regarding topical cannabis in the Canadian population, with a focus on dermatologic uses.

A cross-sectional, anonymous electronic, voluntary survey was developed to assess the use of topical cannabis amongst adults in Canada.

Cannabis was used topically at least once by 24.3% of respondents who started the survey. The commonest form of topical cannabis were creams (26.2%). The most common dermatologic conditions being treated with topical cannabis included atopic dermatitis (25%), acne (19%), and anti-aging (16%); for non-dermatologic conditions, common uses were for joint stiffness or tendonitis (30%) and headaches and migraines (27%). Topical cannabis was reported to be most effective for joint stiffness and tendonitis, general muscular soreness, headaches, eczema, pruritus, acne, and psoriasis. Most respondents obtained and received information about topical cannabis from dispensaries.

Canadians use topical cannabis for a broad range of systemic and dermatologic purposes, most of which have limited evidence. Future clinical studies are required to elucidate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of topical cannabis. Dermatologists should screen their patients for topical cannabis use and be aware of the limited evidence of therapeutic potential.

Cutaneous drug eruptions are a significant source of morbidity, mortality, and cost to the healthcare system. Identifying the culprit drug is essential; however, despite numerous methods being published, there are no consensus guidelines.

Conduct a scoping review to identify all published methods of culprit drug identification for cutaneous drug eruptions, compare the methods, and generate hypotheses for future causality assessment studies.

Peer-reviewed publications involving culprit drug identification methods.

Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

Registered PRISMA-ScR format protocol on Open Science Forum.

In total, 109 studies and 26 reviews were included comprising 656,635 adverse drug events, most of which were cutaneous. There were 54 methods of culprit drug identification published, categorized as algorithms, probabilistic approaches, and expert judgment. Algorithms had higher sensitivity and positive predictive value, but lower specificity and negative predictive value. Probabilistic approaches had lower sensitivity and positive predictive value, but higher specificity and negative predictive value. Expert judgment was subjective, less reproducible, but the most frequently used to validate other methods. Studies suggest that greater accuracy may be achieved by specifically assessing cutaneous drug eruptions and using combinations of causality assessment categories.

Culprit drug identification for adverse drug reactions remains a challenge. Many methods have been published, but there are no consensus guidelines. Using causality assessment methods specifically for cutaneous drug eruptions and combining aspects of the different causality assessment categories may improve efficacy. Further studies are needed to validate this hypothesis.

There is currently at least 1 biologic (adalimumab) approved in North America for treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa in the pediatric population. However, no reviews or clinical trials have specifically analyzed the effectiveness and safety data of biologic use in this population. The objective of this systematic review is to identify and summarize the outcomes of biologic therapy in pediatric patients with HS.

MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were used to conduct the search on Sept 18, 2020.

The 15 included studies consisted of 26 patients, with the mean age of 15 ± 2.3 years. Females accounted for 53.8% (n = 14/26) of cases. The mean duration of HS prior to biologic initiation was 3.5 ± 2.9 years, with the majority having Hurley Stage II. The 26 patients received 34 biologics in total: 85.3% treated with TNF alpha inhibitors (adalimumab n = 17, infliximab n = 10, etanercept n = 1, unspecified n = 1), 5.9% with IL-12/23 inhibitors (ustekinumab n = 2), 5.9% with IL-1 inhibitors (i.e., anakinra n = 2) and 2.9% received IL-23 inhibitors (i.e., guselkumab n = 1) biologics. Of the 26 patients, 23.1% (n = 6/26) experienced complete resolution (CR), 73.1% (n = 19/26) experienced partial resolution (PR), and 3.8% (n = 1/26) had no resolution outcomes reported. The time to resolution of HS lesions after biologic initiation ranged from 10 days to 11.5 months (mean: 5.1 months). No adverse events were reported in the studies.

Although anti-TNF alpha were the most common biologics used for HS in pediatric cases, large-scale trials specific to pediatric patients with HS are needed to confirm these findings.

Factors influencing the difference in the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma in racial minority groups are well-described in the literature and include atypical presentations and socioeconomic factors that impede access to care.

To characterize the differences in melanoma survival outcomes between non-Hispanic white patients and ethnic minority patients in North America.

We conducted searches of Embase via Ovid and MEDLINE via Ovid of studies published from 1989 to August 5, 2020. We included observational studies in North America which reported crude or effect estimate data on patient survival with cutaneous melanoma stratified by race.

Forty-four studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. Pooled analysis revealed that black patients were at a significantly increased risk for overall mortality (HR 1.42, 95% CI, 1.25-1.60), as well as for melanoma-specific mortality (HR 1.27, 95% CI, 1.03-1.56). Pooled analyses using a representative study for each database yielded similar trends. Other ethnic minorities were also more likely report lower melanoma-specific survival compared to non-Hispanic white patients.

Our results support findings that melanoma patients of ethnic minorities, particularly black patients, experience worse health outcomes with regards to mortality. Overall survival and melanoma-specific survival are significantly decreased in black patients compared to non-Hispanic white patients. With the advent of more effective, contemporary treatments such as immunotherapy, our review identifies a gap in the literature investigating present-day or prospective data on melanoma outcomes, in order to characterize how current racial differences compare to findings from previous decades.