A Case of Psoriatic Disease and Hidradenitis Suppurativa in a Child with Chromosome 17q21.31 Microduplication Syndrome

Psoriatic disease is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorder, characterized mostly by cutaneous erythematous scaly plaques sometimes associated with arthritis. Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of the apocrine glands, characterized clinically by painful abscesses, sinus tracts and scars. It typically occurs after puberty, affecting mainly intertriginous areas of the body. There is a strong association between HS and psoriasis since they share the same pathogenic inflammatory pathway. The patient presented: low birthweight, microcephaly, facial dysmorphisms, lumbar hyperlordosis, walking difficulties, global psychomotor developmental delay and learning disabilities. A genetic evaluation revealed a 2.5 Mb de novo microduplication in the 17q21.31 chromosomal region. Dermatological examination revealed HS (Hurley stage II-HS) distributed in the genital area and inguinal folds, psoriatic plaques on the retroauricolar folds, on the elbows bilaterally and on the lateral aspect of the right ankle and psoriatic arthritis. The patient was treated with adalimumab, with a marked improvement of both conditions. To our best knowledge, we report the first case of coexisting Psoriatic Arthritis Disease and Hidradenitis Suppurativa in a child with chromosome 17q21.31 microduplication syndrome. We hypothesize that gene CRHR1 duplication included in the 17q21.31 chromosomal region might be involved in the pathogenesis of both diseases.

Long term efficacy, safety, and tolerability of tildrakizumab in epileptic patient with psoriasis and eczema

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease which mostly affects skin. Tildrakizumab is a specific anti-interleukin -23p19 monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. Herein, we report about a patient who came to our attention for a moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, involving primarily upper limbs, elbow, abdomen and knees (PASI 18 - DLQI 22). His medical history was relevant for epilepsy controlled pharmacologically. In addition, an eczematous and edematous appearance of the tibial area was detected; the histologic findings did not contradict the diagnostic hypothesis of subacute spongiotic dermatitis. The patient was treated with Tildrakizumab. After 12 weeks the clinical lesions improved significantly, and the eczematous component disappeared in the tibial area bilaterally. The clinical improvement was maintained even after one year of therapy. Tildrakizumab showed excellent results in the control of psoriasis, with an excellent safety profile. The promising results of clinical trials have been confirmed in a real-life setting. There are no reports about its safety in epileptic patients. In our case, neurological adverse events did not verify and tildrakizumab managed to control both the psoriatic and eczematous components.

Guselkumab for the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis in a schizophrenia patient: a case report

A wide range of comorbid conditions are associated with psoriasis, many studies have drawn attention to a higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in psoriatic population. Herein, we present a case of a Caucasian 44-years-old man suffering from a severe schizophrenia, who received guselkumab (a human monoclonal antibody targeting the p40 subunit of IL-23) for the treatment of a moderate-to-severe plaque type psoriasis. After 3 months, the patient reached complete resolution of psoriasis without any side effects, maintained at 6 months follow up visit. Some studies have highlighted the hypothesis that an hyperactivation of immune response appears to be one of the main mechanisms underlying the increased risk of this association. In particular, the axis il-17/il-23 plays a central role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Further research will be needed to assess whether anti-IL23 drugs could be a more suitable therapeutic option in psoriatic patients with schizophrenia.

PSSD and biologic therapy: Real-life data in 417 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic relapsing immune-mediated disease leading to a strong impact on patient's quality of life. The treatment of psoriasis has undergone a revolution with the advent of biologic therapies. Currently, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [PASI] and Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI] scores are in use to assess the overall severity of pathology. A new self- administered questionnaire, the Psoriasis Symptoms and Signs Diary (PSSD), assesses severity of six psoriasis symptoms (itch, skin tightness, burning, stinging, and pain,) and five signs (dryness, cracking, scaling, shedding/flaking, redness, and bleeding).

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate and compare the efficacy of biologic therapies through PSSD in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis Methods: The PSSD questionnaire was administered to all the patients at the beginning and after 6 months of biologic therapy (anti-TNFalpha, anti- IL17, anti-IL23, anti-IL12/23 and phhosphodiesterase-4 Inhibitors).

RESULTS

The study population included 417 adult patients with moderate to severe psoriasis in treatment with biologic drugs. All the drugs contributed to a significant improvement of mean total PSSD at t 24; anti-IL17 and anti-IL23 led to a significantly greater reduction at t 24 mean PSSD when compared to other therapies.

CONCLUSION

The PSSD, is a new validated instrument useful for capturing psoriasis patient's quality of life and evaluating treatments efficacy. In our study this score has been useful to put in evidence significant differences between biologic drugs.

Adverse skin reactions to personal protective equipment ( PPE ) during COVID ‐19 pandemic in Italian health care workers

To avoid exposure to SARS‐COV‐2, healthcare professionals must use personal protective equipment (PPE). Their use has been related to a series of adverse effects; the most frequent adverse events were headache, dyspnoea, and pressure injuries. Skin adverse effects are very common, including contact dermatitis, itching, erythema, and acneiform eruptions. The objective of this study is to evaluate the skin problems caused by personal protection equipment (PPE) in health care workers (HCWs) and to individuate eventual risk factors. From May to June 2020 a retrospective observational multi‐centric study conducted by an online survey sent by email, involving 10 hospital centers, was performed. We considered as independent variables gender and age, occupational group and sector, time of utilization, type and material of PPE. We tested 3 types of PPE: gloves, bonnet, and mask for different time of utilization (<1, 1–3, 3–6, >6 h). We performed a multiple logistic regression model to correlate them with skin adverse events occurrence. Among all the 1184 participants, 292 workers reported a dermatological pathology: 45 (15.41%) had psoriasis, 54 (18.49%) eczema, 38 (13.01%) acne, 48 (16.44%) seborrheic dermatitis, and 107 (36.64%) other. In our sample previous inflammatory dermatological conditions, female sex, prolonged use of PPE were significant risk factors for developing skin related adverse events considering all the PPE considered. The use of PPE is still mandatory in the hospital setting and skin adverse reactions still represent a global problem. Although data from Europe are limited, our study highlighted the importance of the problem of PPE skin reactions in a large sample of Italian healthcare professionals.

Psoriatic patients with a history of cancer: a real-life experience with Apremilast treatment for 104 weeks

Psoriasis is a multifactorial, chronic, auto- inflammatory disease, with a worldwide prevalence of around 2%, subtended by robust genetic predisposition and autoimmune pathogenic traits. The disease, mainly involving the skin and joints, is featured by erythemato-squamous lesions, with a chronic relapsing course and relevant systemic comorbidities. Apremilast is a novel oral agent that has recently been made available to dermatologists for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Although it is considered as relatively safe molecule with few contraindications, experience with Apremilast in the real-world setting for cancer patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis is lacking. Hence, we report the real-life experience in patients with psoriasis and a history of cancer who underwent treatment with Apremilast for 104 weeks.

Aesthetic Treatments in Cancer Patients

Cancer patients are experiencing an increase in overall survival as a consequence of earlier diagnosis and newer effective anticancer therapies. However, cancer survivors often face long-term consequences from their original cancer diagnosis and long-term sequelae of anticancer treatment. Maintaining patients’ quality of life is of paramount importance and this can be accomplished by a multidisciplinary treatment approach, including aesthetic treatments to improve patients’ body image and positively impact their quality of life. In this perspective, we will discuss the importance of aesthetic treatments in cancer patients. In addition, we will summarise the data available regarding the use of several aesthetic treatments such as fillers, botulinum toxin and laser use in cancer patients, their safety, their efficacy, and the specific precautions that need to be implemented in this particular subset of cancer patients.

Advantages of Tailored Isotretinoin Treatment in Moderate to Severe Acne: Real-Life Data

This retrospective single-center study analyzes the efficacy and safety of isotretinoin for the treatment of moderate to severe acne in real-life clinical practice, particularly with regard to acne severity, isotretinoin cumulative dosage, and patients’ gender. The results suggest the opportunity of an early isotretinoin systemic treatment in patients affected by moderate acne and emphasize the importance of an appropriate dose adjustment in order to minimize adverse events.

Long-Term Maintained Response to Selective Internal Radiation Therapy in an Oligometastatic Uveal Melanoma Patient Treated with Concomitant Anti-PD-1 Therapy

Uveal melanoma (UM) is a primary neoplasm of the eye arising from the melanocytes residing in the iris, ciliary body or choroid. It is the most frequent intraocular malignancy and often determines metastases at distant sites, with a peculiar tropism for the liver. Metastatic UM has a poor prognosis, as any treatment affects the natural course of this fatal disease. Herein, we report a case of a UM metastatic to the liver in a 54 year-old female patient, initially treated with nivolumab without success. The patient was then scheduled for selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) while continuing immunotherapy. This combination led to a complete and durable response and the patient is currently free of disease, two years after the diagnosis of the hepatic metastases. The association between SIRT and immunotherapy (IT) has very promising perspectives for metastatic UM, especially considering the disappointing or contradictory results of classic chemotherapies, IT alone and targeted therapies. Furthermore, this combination has been shown to have a good security profile. However, further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of associating SIRT and IT and to clarify some unsolved problems, such as the timing of administration of these two therapies.

Gut microbiome profile in psoriatic patients treated and untreated with biologic therapy

There are increasing data about the role of the gut microbiome in various autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory and immune-mediated disease. Current treatment strategies in psoriasis include immunomodulating biologic agents. A variable response to this type of therapy has been reported in psoriatic patients. A possible effect of biologic therapy on the gut microbiome composition has been suggested, but data are still limited. The aim of this study was to compare the gut microbiome composition between psoriatic patients treated and untreated with biologic drugs in order to identify differences which may highlight the potential impact of the treatment on the gut microbiome. 16S rRNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses were performed on the fecal samples of 30 psoriatic patients with similar clinicopathological features, 10 of whom were undergoing biologic therapy and 20 not receiving systemic therapy. Alpha and beta diversity significantly differed between the two groups of patients. A reduced bacterial biodiversity in the group of treated patients compared with the group of untreated patients was observed. Differential relative abundances of key gut microbial communities, including Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacteroides plebeius, were identified between the two groups of patients. This study showed that biologic therapy may have an impact on the composition of the gut microbiome of psoriatic patients. Gut microbiome composition could be used as an indicator of response to therapy and the modulation of the microbial composition could help to restore the intestinal symbiosis in psoriatic patients.

Case Report: Cetuximab use in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma resistant to chemotherapy

We present the case of a 60-year-old man with unresectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) of the sternal area, which was not amenable to radiation therapy (stage III, T3N0M0). The treatment history of this patient is remarkable as the disease had progressed through all lines of conventional therapy established in the literature. The patient was treated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor cetuximab for 35 cycles and restaged after 12 months of therapy with a whole body CT scan, documenting stage IV disease (T3N2bM1). The use of cetuximab as a single agent was effective for a limited time and we decided to initiate combination therapy with cetuximab and nivolumab. Restaging after six months of this combination regimen documented stable disease.

Metastases risk in thin cutaneous melanoma: prognostic value of clinical-pathologic characteristics and mutation profile

Background

A high percentage of patients with thin melanoma (TM), defined as lesions with Breslow thickness ≤1 mm, presents excellent long-term survival, however, some patients develop metastases. Existing prognostic factors cannot reliably differentiate TM patients at risk for metastases.

Objective

We aimed at characterizing the clinical-pathologic and mutation profile of metastatic and not-metastatic TM in order to distinguish lesions at risk of metastases.

Methods

Clinical-pathologic characteristics were recorded for the TM cases analyzed. We used a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) multi-gene panel to characterize TM for multiple somatic mutations.

Results

A statistically significant association emerged between the presence of metastases and Breslow thickness ≥0.6 mm (p=0.003). None of TM with lymph-node involvement had Breslow thickness <0.6 mm. Somatic mutations were identified in 19 of 21 TM analyzed (90.5%). No mutations were observed in two not-metastatic cases with the lowest Breslow thickness (≤0.4 mm), whereas mutations in more than one gene were detected in one metastatic case with the highest Breslow thickness (1.00 mm).

Conclusion

Our study indicates Breslow thickness ≥0.6 mm as a valid prognostic factor to distinguish TM at risk for metastases.