Dermatology News
Ustekinumab Bests Etanercept for Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis
Biologic agents offer a range of new therapeutic options for patients with psoriasis; however, the relative benefit–risk profiles of such therapies are not well known. An article published in the New England Journal of Medicine compared two biologic agents, ustekinumab (an interleukin-12 and interleukin-23 blocker) and etanercept (an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor), for the treatment of psoriasis. There was at least 75% improvement in the PASI at week 12 in 67.5% of patients who received 45 mg of ustekinumab and 73.8% of patients who received 90 mg, as compared with 56.8% of those who received etanercept. Among patients who did not have a response to etanercept, 48.9% had at least 75% improvement in the PASI within 12 weeks after crossover to ustekinumab.
Melanoma in Blacks and White Hispanics Found in Later Stages Than Whites Non-Hispanics
A study examining and comparing the temporal trends in melanoma incidence and stage at diagnosis among whites, Hispanics, and blacks in Florida from 1990 to 2004 was conducted. Of 41 072 cases of melanoma, 39 670 cases were reported for white non-Hispanics (WNHs), 1148 for white Hispanics (WHs), and 254 for blacks. Both WHs and blacks had significantly more advanced melanoma at presentation: 18% of WH and 26% of black patients had either regional or distant-stage melanoma at diagnosis compared with 12% of WNH patients. The proportion of distant-stage melanoma diagnosed among WHs and blacks changed little from 1990 to 2004, compared with a steady decrease in the percentage of melanoma cases diagnosed at distant stage among WNHs.
Psoriasis not independently linked to ischemic heart disease
Psoriasis may not be a clinical risk factor for ischemic heart disease (IHD) hospitalization, Dutch study findings suggest. This latest finding seems to contradict a previous study reported by MedWire News that found an increased risk for myocardial infarction in patients with severe psoriasis and a recent consensus document advising assessment of cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients.
Family history suggests a link of melanoma and Parkinson disease
Neurology Abstract
Co-occurrence of Parkinson disease (PD) and melanoma has been reported in numerous studies. If this was due to common genetic mechanisms, a positive family history of melanoma would be associated with an excessive PD risk, independent of environmental risk factors for PD. This prospective study supports the notion that melanoma and Parkinson disease (PD) share common genetic components. The genetic determinants of melanoma could therefore be explored as susceptibility candidate genes for PD.
Methotrexate: A benefit for pemphigoid?
British Journal of Dermatology Abstract
Methotrexate (MTX) is primarily used in the treatment of malignancies. It has also been used as an immunosuppressive agent in the treatment of pemphigus and pemphigoid. The objective of this study was to determine the role of MTX in the treatment of pemphigus and pemphigoid based on an analysis of the available literature. A retrospective analysis of the English language literature was conducted. Given the limitations of the available data, it appears that when there is a need for adjuvant therapy, MTX may be considered early in the management of moderate to moderately severe disease.
Drug Shows Activity in Advanced Basal-Cell Cancer
More than half of patients with advanced or metastatic basal-cell cancer had major responses to a drug that targets the hedgehog pathway of growth regulation, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. Treatment with GDC-0449 led to objective responses in 18 of 33 patients, including two who had complete responses, investigators reported. Eleven other patients had stable disease.
Vein Condition May Mask Serious Clot Disorder
A supposedly harmless condition -- superficial vein thrombosis, or varicose veins that have become swollen and painful -- may herald the presence of a more dangerous problem. One-quarter of patients with superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) in an Austrian study actually had deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially life-threatening condition.
