A 68-year-old woman presented with a mass on the scalp which had been present for approximately 7 years. An incisional biopsy of the scalp mass and excisional biopsy of the lymph node both revealed... More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of vismodegib (Erivedge), for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, for patients who... More »
Metastatic melanomas that harbor the V600E mutation in the BRAF gene respond rapidly to vemurafenib (Zelboraf), the BRAF V600E inhibitor. But While vemurafenib results in a response in about 80% of... More »
The past year in oncology was highlighted by the continuation of breakthroughs in targeted therapies—with new treatments receiving US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for non–small-cell... More »
The management of in-transit metastases is challenging, since the treatments and extent of disease vary greatly based on the number, depth, location, and distribution of lesions, and on their... More »
Advances in perioperative planning, surgical technique, and postoperative care over the past two decades have allowed the indications for hepatic resection to be potentially broadened to include... More »
Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States for years, and since 1988, it has become the number-one cause of cancer death among women. More »
A 58-year-old man developed acute myeloid leukema. After responding to remission-induction high-dose chemotherapy, he received an allogeneic stem cell transplant that was complicated by a... More »
Skin toxicity due to voriconazole is well recognized. Recently, several series have reported skincancer, particularly cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (C-SCC), following photosensitivity reactions among patients receiving long-term voriconazole (>12months). Almost all patients were immunosuppressed, including stem cell and solid organ transplant recipients. A case-control study of lung transplant recipients identified long-term voriconazole (median cumulative dose: 76grams) and residence in areas of strong sun exposure as independent risk factors for C-SCC. The mechanism(s) by which voriconazole may predispose to skincancer is not clear. Moreover, the relative contribution of voriconazole and other factors such as immunosuppression, ultraviolet exposure, advanced age and skin type is unknown. Until further data are available, voriconazole should be used carefully for durations >6-9months, particularly among patients with risk factors for skincancer. In patients requiring
Considerable interobserver variability exists among providers and between providers and patients when measuring subjective symptoms. In the recently published Phase III N06C4 trial of mometasone cream vs. placebo to prevent radiation dermatitis, the primary provider-assessed (PA) endpoint, using the Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), was negative. However, prospectively planned secondary analyses of patient-reported outcomes (PROs), using the Skindex-16 and Skin Toxicity Assessment Tool (STAT), were positive. This study assesses the relationship between PA outcomes and PROs.|Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to compare the three tools. Statistical correlations were defined as follows: <0.5, mild; 0.5-0.7, moderate; and >0.7, strong.|CTCAE dermatitis moderately correlated with STAT erythema, and CTCAE pruritus strongly correlated with STAT itching. CTCAE pruritus had a moderate correlation with Skindex-16 itching. Comparing the 2 PRO tools, Skindex-16
'What They Should Really Teach in Medical School' Julie Schopps, MD , February 6, 2012 The North Carolina-based pediatrician weighs in on why she thinks the real learning doesn't take place until students are out of the classroom.
Improve EHR Systems by Rethinking Medical Billing Daniel Essin, MA, MD, February 6, 2012 Separating billing-related data from other clinical documentation and transmitting it to a billing system is not difficult …no matter how the charting is done.