Education
Cutting-edge talks from today’s specialty experts attract attendees to the DF’s annual CME meeting: Clinical Symposia—Advances in Dermatology.
When Interferon Interferes: Updates in Childhood Connective Tissue Disease
Dr. Vikash Oza presented information about the diagnosis and treatment of children with connective tissue diseases, including juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) and chronic cutaneous lupus (CCL). In multidisciplinary settings, dermatologists play an important role in the early identification, treatment, and monitoring of systemic diseases with cutaneous manifestations. Treatment for refractory skin disease in the setting of…
Latest Breakthroughs in Vascular Anomalies
Dr. Erin Mathes shared updates in the evaluation and treatment of vascular anomalies, including infantile hemangioma (IH) and port wine birthmarks (PWB). First, Mathes reviewed the clinical practice guidelines for managing IH. High-risk patients should be referred to a hemangioma specialist. The optimal referral age is 4 weeks. Mathes suggested that clinicians adjust their treatment…
Intriguing Neonatal Cases
Dr. Erin Mathes presented cases that demonstrate neonatal cutaneous processes, including erythroderma, infantile hemangiomas (IH) in preterm infants, solitary infantile myofibromas (IM), infantile malignancies, transverse nasal root veins, and newborn telangiectasias. She highlighted clinical practice gaps and areas for future research. First, Mathes discussed neonatal erythroderma. The differential diagnosis ranges from life-threatening diseases (e.g., severe…
Acral and Nail Unit Melanoma: Challenges and Approaches to Diagnosis and Management
Dr. Daniel Klufas presented information about the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of acral melanoma, including acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) and nail unit melanoma (NUM). Acral melanomas are rare subtypes of cutaneous melanoma (CM) found on non-hair-bearing acral surfaces. They typically present after the age of 50 and disproportionately affect patients with skin of color…
Advancements in Keloid Treatment
Dr. Donald Glass shared information about advances in keloid treatment. Keloids are raised scars that grow invasively beyond the boundaries of the original wounds. Keloids are distinct from hypertrophic scars, which remain confined to the boundaries of the original wounds and may regress spontaneously. First, Glass provided an overview of keloid epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation,…
Inherited Melanoma Syndromes
Dr. Emily Chu presented information about familial melanoma, inherited melanoma syndromes, and associated genes. Familial melanoma is defined as ≥2 first-degree relatives with melanoma or ≥3 relatives on the same side of the family with melanoma. First, Chu described genes associated with increased risk of developing melanoma, including cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), cyclin-dependent kinase…
Oncodermatopathology Clues: Clinical-Pathologic Correlation for Adverse Skin Reactions to Newer Oncologic Therapies
Dr. Emily Chu presented information about cutaneous adverse reactions to targeted oncologic therapies, including programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, enfortumab vedotin (EV), v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) inhibitors, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK) inhibitors. As more patients receive these oncologic therapies, dermatologists are…
Pragmatic Trials: The Next Generation of Research Needed to Advance Dermatology Practice
Dr. Joel Gelfand presented information about real-world data collection methods, including registries, automated databases, and pragmatic clinical trials. First, Gelfand discussed the role of real-world studies in identifying adverse events (AEs) caused by newly approved treatments. Pre-approval clinical trials (i.e., phase 1-3) have limited ability to identify safety signals because these studies are designed to…