Case-Control Study of Tumor Stage-Dependent Outcomes for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Immunosuppressed and Immunocompetent Patients.

BACKGROUND: Immunosuppressed patients have worse outcomes from cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs), although unclear whether it is due to the development of more high-stage tumors or worse outcomes for a given stage. OBJECTIVE: Analyze the impact of immunosuppression on the development of cSCCs and tumor stage-dependent outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Single-institution 1:2 case-control study of primary invasive cSCCs from 2005 to 2015 in 106 mixed-cause immunosuppressed patients and 212 control subjects matched to age, gender, and race. RESULTS: Four hundred twelve cSCCs from 106 immunosuppressed patients and 291 tumors from 212 matched immunocompetent patients were included. Both cohorts had similar T-stage distribution, with <5% high-stage tumors, that is, AJCC-7 T2, AJCC-8 T3, and BWH T2b/T3. Immunosuppression significantly increased the likelihood of poor outcomes (POs) (aggregate of local recurrence (LR), nodal and distant metastasis, and squamous cell carcinoma-related deaths) for low-stage tumors, that is, AJCC-7 T1 (odds ratio [OR], 4.29), AJCC-8 T1 (OR, 3.45), AJCC-8 T2 (OR, 3.75), BWH T1 (OR, 3.53), and BWH T2a (OR, 3.41) tumors. There was no significant difference in the treatment: most tumors were treated with Mohs (71% vs 75%) or excision (21% vs 20%) in both cohorts. CONCLUSION: Immunosuppressed patients have an increased risk of POs, specifically LRs, from low-stage cSCCs. Definitive treatment of cSCCs is recommended.

Comparison of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Seventh Edition and Brigham and Women's Hospital Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Tumor Staging in Immunosuppressed Patients.

BACKGROUND: The American Joint Committee on Cancer 7th edition (AJCC-7) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) staging criteria for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) have not been validated in immunosuppressed patients. OBJECTIVE: To compare the AJCC-7 and BWH staging systems for cSCCs in immunosuppressed patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-institution retrospective cohort study of cSCCs in immunosuppressed patients. Risks of local recurrence (LR), nodal metastasis (NM), in-transit metastasis, and any poor outcome (PO) were compared among AJCC-7 and BWH tumor T stages. RESULTS: One hundred six patients had 412 primary invasive cSCCs. Eighty-five percent were AJCC-7 T1, and 15% T2. Risks of NM and PO for AJCC-7 T1 versus T2 were 0.9% versus 5% and 12.8% versus 23.3%, respectively, p < .05. Eighty-one percent of tumors were BWH T1, 18% T2a, 1% T2b, and 0.2% T3. Risk of LR for BWH T1 versus T2a was 11.4% versus 20.3%, p < .01. Risk of NM increased from 0.3% for T1 to 4.1%, 25%, and 100% for T2a, T2b, and T3, p < .05. Ninety percent of PO occurred in low-stage BWH T1/T2a. CONCLUSION: Low T-stage cSCCs account for most POs. Brigham and Women's Hospital staging criteria better risk stratifies cSCCs in immunosuppressed patients for risk of NM and LR.

Direct and indirect patient costs of dermatology clinic visits and their impact on access to care and provider preference.

The direct and indirect costs of dermatology clinic visits are infrequently quantified. Indirect costs, such as the time spent traveling to and from appointments and the value of lost earnings from time away from work, are substantial costs that often are not included in economic analyses but may pose barriers to receiving care. Due to the national shortage of dermatologists, patients may have to wait longer for appointments or travel further to see dermatologists outside of their local community, resulting in high time and travel costs for patients. Patients' lost time and earnings comprise the opportunity cost of obtaining care. A monetary value for this opportunity cost can be calculated by multiplying a patient's hourly wage by the number of hours that the patient dedicated to attending the dermatology appointment. Using a single institution survey, this study quantified the direct and indirect patient costs, including opportunity costs and time burden, associated with dermatology clinic visits to better appreciate the impact of these factors on health care access and dermatologic provider preference.

Systematic Review of Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents with Psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Many cases of psoriasis begin in adolescence. The affected adolescents face the combined physical and psychosocial challenges of their disease-free peers with the added complexity of a visible disease. OBJECTIVE: To review the impact of psoriasis on the health-related quality of life (HRQL) in adolescents as compared to their peers with other chronic diseases and to determine the best tools to measure HRQL in this population. METHODS: A systematic literature review was completed using PubMed. RESULTS: 256 publications were screened for inclusion, 37 were relevant to objectives and included in the systematic review. Most studies are pediatric psoriasis studies with an adolescent subgroup, very few are dedicated to solely addressing HRQL in adolescents with psoriasis. Adolescents with psoriasis face both the challenges similar to an adult psoriasis population in addition to the complexities inherent to healthy adolescents. Studies often use a general pediatric HRQL measure, PedsQL 4.0, or a dermatology-specific measure adapted from an adult questionnaire. Only one psoriasis-specific measurement tool exists, and it is specifically for scalp psoriasis. CONCLUSION: Both dermatologists and primary care physicians should treat the visible cutaneous lesions and disease comorbidities and address the psychosocial impact of psoriasis in their adolescent patients. Use of both a general and dermatology-specific HRQL questionnaire may allow physicians to better identify the impact of the disease and recognize improvement or impairment over time.