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BALTIMORE – Methods to prevent and treat migraines are lacking, but monoclonal antibodies and the calcitonin receptor system are showing promise, according to Dr. Peter Goadsby of the University of California, San Francisco.

“It’s an awful mishmash of things we have to offer,” Dr. Goadsby said at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association. However, data presented at the meeting suggest that new options may be on the horizon.

In an interview at the meeting, Dr. Goadsby explained details of several studies that showed dramatic results, and the “tantalizing” implications for patients.

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BALTIMORE – Methods to prevent and treat migraines are lacking, but monoclonal antibodies and the calcitonin receptor system are showing promise, according to Dr. Peter Goadsby of the University of California, San Francisco.

“It’s an awful mishmash of things we have to offer,” Dr. Goadsby said at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association. However, data presented at the meeting suggest that new options may be on the horizon.

In an interview at the meeting, Dr. Goadsby explained details of several studies that showed dramatic results, and the “tantalizing” implications for patients.

[email protected]

BALTIMORE – Methods to prevent and treat migraines are lacking, but monoclonal antibodies and the calcitonin receptor system are showing promise, according to Dr. Peter Goadsby of the University of California, San Francisco.

“It’s an awful mishmash of things we have to offer,” Dr. Goadsby said at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association. However, data presented at the meeting suggest that new options may be on the horizon.

In an interview at the meeting, Dr. Goadsby explained details of several studies that showed dramatic results, and the “tantalizing” implications for patients.

[email protected]

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – The approval of apremilast (Otezla) for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis will make a significant impact on patient care, Dr. Alan Menter of Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Tex., said at Skin Disease Education Foundation’s Women’s & Pediatric Dermatology Seminar.

“I think where this drug is going to have a role is ... patients who are risk averse to needles, have contraindications to TNF-alpha agents ... patients who want a drug with minimal to no long-term side effects,” with the exception of the significant incidence of diarrhea within the early weeks of starting the drug, Dr. Menter explained. Clinicians should explain the risk of diarrhea to patients, and help them get through the first few months. The diarrhea “definitely does vanish with time,” he said. Overall, the risk of side effects is extremely low, he noted. “It is probably the safest drug we have approved for psoriasis today.”

SDEF and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

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NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – The approval of apremilast (Otezla) for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis will make a significant impact on patient care, Dr. Alan Menter of Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Tex., said at Skin Disease Education Foundation’s Women’s & Pediatric Dermatology Seminar.

“I think where this drug is going to have a role is ... patients who are risk averse to needles, have contraindications to TNF-alpha agents ... patients who want a drug with minimal to no long-term side effects,” with the exception of the significant incidence of diarrhea within the early weeks of starting the drug, Dr. Menter explained. Clinicians should explain the risk of diarrhea to patients, and help them get through the first few months. The diarrhea “definitely does vanish with time,” he said. Overall, the risk of side effects is extremely low, he noted. “It is probably the safest drug we have approved for psoriasis today.”

SDEF and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

[email protected]

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – The approval of apremilast (Otezla) for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis will make a significant impact on patient care, Dr. Alan Menter of Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Tex., said at Skin Disease Education Foundation’s Women’s & Pediatric Dermatology Seminar.

“I think where this drug is going to have a role is ... patients who are risk averse to needles, have contraindications to TNF-alpha agents ... patients who want a drug with minimal to no long-term side effects,” with the exception of the significant incidence of diarrhea within the early weeks of starting the drug, Dr. Menter explained. Clinicians should explain the risk of diarrhea to patients, and help them get through the first few months. The diarrhea “definitely does vanish with time,” he said. Overall, the risk of side effects is extremely low, he noted. “It is probably the safest drug we have approved for psoriasis today.”

SDEF and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

[email protected]

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – Do more women today really have acne? Or are they simply more likely to seek help because they learn of new and better medications?

Acne often causes more psychosocial and psychological stress in adult women than in men or adolescents, Dr. Hilary Baldwin of SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y., said at Skin Disease Education Foundation’s Women’s & Pediatric Dermatology Seminar.

In an interview at the meeting, Dr. Baldwin explained what makes the treatment of acne in adult women distinct from acne treatment for men and adolescents, and what underused medications can yield success.

SDEF and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

[email protected]

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – Do more women today really have acne? Or are they simply more likely to seek help because they learn of new and better medications?

Acne often causes more psychosocial and psychological stress in adult women than in men or adolescents, Dr. Hilary Baldwin of SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y., said at Skin Disease Education Foundation’s Women’s & Pediatric Dermatology Seminar.

In an interview at the meeting, Dr. Baldwin explained what makes the treatment of acne in adult women distinct from acne treatment for men and adolescents, and what underused medications can yield success.

SDEF and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

[email protected]

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – Do more women today really have acne? Or are they simply more likely to seek help because they learn of new and better medications?

Acne often causes more psychosocial and psychological stress in adult women than in men or adolescents, Dr. Hilary Baldwin of SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y., said at Skin Disease Education Foundation’s Women’s & Pediatric Dermatology Seminar.

In an interview at the meeting, Dr. Baldwin explained what makes the treatment of acne in adult women distinct from acne treatment for men and adolescents, and what underused medications can yield success.

SDEF and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

[email protected]

SONOMA, CALIF. – Dr. Miriam S. Bettencourt is seeing what she considers an epidemic of scabies among elderly patients in nursing homes.

The problem is a lack of detection, she said in an interview at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

Dermatologists who see elderly patients should look for scabies in unusual bodily locations and remember that scabies in the elderly can produce atypical lesions, said Dr. Bettencourt of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Permethrin cream alone probably won’t be enough to treat these patients, she said at the symposium, jointly presented by the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and the Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by the same parent company.

How would you treat scabies in an elderly patient? Dr. Bettencourt discussed several effective options.

Dr. Bettencourt reported having no financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SONOMA, CALIF. – Dr. Miriam S. Bettencourt is seeing what she considers an epidemic of scabies among elderly patients in nursing homes.

The problem is a lack of detection, she said in an interview at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

Dermatologists who see elderly patients should look for scabies in unusual bodily locations and remember that scabies in the elderly can produce atypical lesions, said Dr. Bettencourt of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Permethrin cream alone probably won’t be enough to treat these patients, she said at the symposium, jointly presented by the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and the Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by the same parent company.

How would you treat scabies in an elderly patient? Dr. Bettencourt discussed several effective options.

Dr. Bettencourt reported having no financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SONOMA, CALIF. – Dr. Miriam S. Bettencourt is seeing what she considers an epidemic of scabies among elderly patients in nursing homes.

The problem is a lack of detection, she said in an interview at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

Dermatologists who see elderly patients should look for scabies in unusual bodily locations and remember that scabies in the elderly can produce atypical lesions, said Dr. Bettencourt of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Permethrin cream alone probably won’t be enough to treat these patients, she said at the symposium, jointly presented by the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and the Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by the same parent company.

How would you treat scabies in an elderly patient? Dr. Bettencourt discussed several effective options.

Dr. Bettencourt reported having no financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

PHILADELPHIA – Despite the relatively limited threat Ebola poses to the United States, the disease’s arrival here “is a great wake-up message for us,” noted infectious disease expert Bruce Ribner.

“We have to be sensitive to the fact that ... people travel to areas where there are serious communicable diseases that are endemic,” noted Dr. Ribner, medical director of Emory University Hospital’s serious communicable diseases unit in Atlanta.

In an interview at IDWeek 2014, Dr. Ribner assessed Ebola’s low threat to the U.S. population, the resources available to contain that threat, and screening tactics to help contain the risks of infectious diseases beyond Ebola.

PHILADELPHIA – Despite the relatively limited threat Ebola poses to the United States, the disease’s arrival here “is a great wake-up message for us,” noted infectious disease expert Bruce Ribner.

“We have to be sensitive to the fact that ... people travel to areas where there are serious communicable diseases that are endemic,” noted Dr. Ribner, medical director of Emory University Hospital’s serious communicable diseases unit in Atlanta.

In an interview at IDWeek 2014, Dr. Ribner assessed Ebola’s low threat to the U.S. population, the resources available to contain that threat, and screening tactics to help contain the risks of infectious diseases beyond Ebola.

PHILADELPHIA – Despite the relatively limited threat Ebola poses to the United States, the disease’s arrival here “is a great wake-up message for us,” noted infectious disease expert Bruce Ribner.

“We have to be sensitive to the fact that ... people travel to areas where there are serious communicable diseases that are endemic,” noted Dr. Ribner, medical director of Emory University Hospital’s serious communicable diseases unit in Atlanta.

In an interview at IDWeek 2014, Dr. Ribner assessed Ebola’s low threat to the U.S. population, the resources available to contain that threat, and screening tactics to help contain the risks of infectious diseases beyond Ebola.

SONOMA, CALIF. – Skin reactions to components of baby wipes, cosmetics, leather, and even artificial hips or knees top an informal list of dermatoses caused by newer allergens for dermatologists to consider, Dr. Joseph F. Fowler Jr. said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

He described some of these new allergens in a video interview at the symposium, jointly presented by the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and the Global Academy for Medical Education.

A relatively new preservative found in baby wipes and hair and skin products is one of the main culprits – methylisothiazolinone, said Dr. Fowler of the university. Bee glue (also called propolis) is another problematic material, found in some lip moisturizers and other personal-care products.

Shellac (the same shellac that’s often used as a furniture coating) in mascara and nail products can cause skin reactions, too.

Leather can cause dermatoses because of the chromium used in leather processing, but recent reports also point to cobalt, another product used in leather processing, as an allergen source, Dr. Fowler said.

Also, in rare cases, components of orthopedic implants are causing allergic reactions that sometimes necessitate removal of the implant, he added.

Dr. Fowler reported financial associations with Bayer, Valeant, Amgen, AbbVie, Allergan, Celgene, Galderma, Novartis, and Lilly. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SONOMA, CALIF. – Skin reactions to components of baby wipes, cosmetics, leather, and even artificial hips or knees top an informal list of dermatoses caused by newer allergens for dermatologists to consider, Dr. Joseph F. Fowler Jr. said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

He described some of these new allergens in a video interview at the symposium, jointly presented by the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and the Global Academy for Medical Education.

A relatively new preservative found in baby wipes and hair and skin products is one of the main culprits – methylisothiazolinone, said Dr. Fowler of the university. Bee glue (also called propolis) is another problematic material, found in some lip moisturizers and other personal-care products.

Shellac (the same shellac that’s often used as a furniture coating) in mascara and nail products can cause skin reactions, too.

Leather can cause dermatoses because of the chromium used in leather processing, but recent reports also point to cobalt, another product used in leather processing, as an allergen source, Dr. Fowler said.

Also, in rare cases, components of orthopedic implants are causing allergic reactions that sometimes necessitate removal of the implant, he added.

Dr. Fowler reported financial associations with Bayer, Valeant, Amgen, AbbVie, Allergan, Celgene, Galderma, Novartis, and Lilly. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SONOMA, CALIF. – Skin reactions to components of baby wipes, cosmetics, leather, and even artificial hips or knees top an informal list of dermatoses caused by newer allergens for dermatologists to consider, Dr. Joseph F. Fowler Jr. said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

He described some of these new allergens in a video interview at the symposium, jointly presented by the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and the Global Academy for Medical Education.

A relatively new preservative found in baby wipes and hair and skin products is one of the main culprits – methylisothiazolinone, said Dr. Fowler of the university. Bee glue (also called propolis) is another problematic material, found in some lip moisturizers and other personal-care products.

Shellac (the same shellac that’s often used as a furniture coating) in mascara and nail products can cause skin reactions, too.

Leather can cause dermatoses because of the chromium used in leather processing, but recent reports also point to cobalt, another product used in leather processing, as an allergen source, Dr. Fowler said.

Also, in rare cases, components of orthopedic implants are causing allergic reactions that sometimes necessitate removal of the implant, he added.

Dr. Fowler reported financial associations with Bayer, Valeant, Amgen, AbbVie, Allergan, Celgene, Galderma, Novartis, and Lilly. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

MADRID – Results from a phase III trial of a new drug, TAS-102, that mimics the action of fluorouracil showed that it significantly boosted overall survival in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. This means that now two drugs, TAS-102 and regorafenib, have recently shown efficacy in this clinical setting, although the two drugs show notably different adverse-effect profiles, Dr. Christophe Tournigand said in an interview at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

Another aspect when comparing these two new drugs is their ability to easily combine with other treatments. Regorafenib seems hard to combine. In contrast, the adverse-effect profile of TAS-102 suggests that it may be easier to use in combinations, said Dr. Tournigand, professor and head of medical oncology at Henri Mondor University Hospital in Créteil, France.

Dr. Tournigand has been an adviser to Roche, Sanofi, Merck, Amgen, and Bayer.

[email protected] 


On Twitter @mitchelzoler

MADRID – Results from a phase III trial of a new drug, TAS-102, that mimics the action of fluorouracil showed that it significantly boosted overall survival in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. This means that now two drugs, TAS-102 and regorafenib, have recently shown efficacy in this clinical setting, although the two drugs show notably different adverse-effect profiles, Dr. Christophe Tournigand said in an interview at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

Another aspect when comparing these two new drugs is their ability to easily combine with other treatments. Regorafenib seems hard to combine. In contrast, the adverse-effect profile of TAS-102 suggests that it may be easier to use in combinations, said Dr. Tournigand, professor and head of medical oncology at Henri Mondor University Hospital in Créteil, France.

Dr. Tournigand has been an adviser to Roche, Sanofi, Merck, Amgen, and Bayer.

[email protected] 


On Twitter @mitchelzoler

MADRID – Results from a phase III trial of a new drug, TAS-102, that mimics the action of fluorouracil showed that it significantly boosted overall survival in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. This means that now two drugs, TAS-102 and regorafenib, have recently shown efficacy in this clinical setting, although the two drugs show notably different adverse-effect profiles, Dr. Christophe Tournigand said in an interview at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

Another aspect when comparing these two new drugs is their ability to easily combine with other treatments. Regorafenib seems hard to combine. In contrast, the adverse-effect profile of TAS-102 suggests that it may be easier to use in combinations, said Dr. Tournigand, professor and head of medical oncology at Henri Mondor University Hospital in Créteil, France.

Dr. Tournigand has been an adviser to Roche, Sanofi, Merck, Amgen, and Bayer.

[email protected] 


On Twitter @mitchelzoler

MADRID – Newly reported findings on the benefits from a dose-dense chemotherapy regimen for safely boosting the event-free survival rate in women with node-positive breast cancer help to better establish the dose-dense chemotherapy approach for these high-risk patients, Dr. Antonio Llombart-Cussac said in an interview during the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

Although the dose-dense strategy for administering epirubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide has been widely adopted in the United States and Germany it has remained poorly used in most other European countries. The new German results, coupled with a similar report from Italian investigators last year, should help spark renewed interest in relying on the dose-dense approach for treating patients with early, node-positive breast cancer that is either triple negative or has the luminal B phenotype, said Dr. Llombart, head of medical oncology at Arnau de Vilanova Hospital in Valencia, Spain.

Dr. Llombart has received honoraria as a speaker for or advisor to Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Lilly.

[email protected]

On Twitter @mitchelzoler

MADRID – Newly reported findings on the benefits from a dose-dense chemotherapy regimen for safely boosting the event-free survival rate in women with node-positive breast cancer help to better establish the dose-dense chemotherapy approach for these high-risk patients, Dr. Antonio Llombart-Cussac said in an interview during the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

Although the dose-dense strategy for administering epirubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide has been widely adopted in the United States and Germany it has remained poorly used in most other European countries. The new German results, coupled with a similar report from Italian investigators last year, should help spark renewed interest in relying on the dose-dense approach for treating patients with early, node-positive breast cancer that is either triple negative or has the luminal B phenotype, said Dr. Llombart, head of medical oncology at Arnau de Vilanova Hospital in Valencia, Spain.

Dr. Llombart has received honoraria as a speaker for or advisor to Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Lilly.

[email protected]

On Twitter @mitchelzoler

MADRID – Newly reported findings on the benefits from a dose-dense chemotherapy regimen for safely boosting the event-free survival rate in women with node-positive breast cancer help to better establish the dose-dense chemotherapy approach for these high-risk patients, Dr. Antonio Llombart-Cussac said in an interview during the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

Although the dose-dense strategy for administering epirubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide has been widely adopted in the United States and Germany it has remained poorly used in most other European countries. The new German results, coupled with a similar report from Italian investigators last year, should help spark renewed interest in relying on the dose-dense approach for treating patients with early, node-positive breast cancer that is either triple negative or has the luminal B phenotype, said Dr. Llombart, head of medical oncology at Arnau de Vilanova Hospital in Valencia, Spain.

Dr. Llombart has received honoraria as a speaker for or advisor to Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Lilly.

[email protected]

On Twitter @mitchelzoler

ORLANDO – Squamous cell carcinoma has a direct cost of nearly $300 million a year. Although squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is not as deadly as other forms of skin cancer, it is a serious public health issue, according to Dr. Chrysalyne D. Schmults.

Dr. Schmults of Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, published a study earlier this year introducing a new staging system for SCC, called the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) tumor staging system.

The BWH system, Dr. Schmults and her colleagues wrote, “offers improved distinctiveness, homogeneity, and monotonicity” over both the American Joint Committee on Cancer and International Union Against Cancer staging systems, although larger studies are needed.

In a video interview at the annual meeting of the Florida Society of Dermatologic Surgeons, Dr. Schmults explained the BWH staging system and shared her clinical advice and recommendations for managing SCC.

[email protected]

On Twitter @naseemmiller

ORLANDO – Squamous cell carcinoma has a direct cost of nearly $300 million a year. Although squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is not as deadly as other forms of skin cancer, it is a serious public health issue, according to Dr. Chrysalyne D. Schmults.

Dr. Schmults of Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, published a study earlier this year introducing a new staging system for SCC, called the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) tumor staging system.

The BWH system, Dr. Schmults and her colleagues wrote, “offers improved distinctiveness, homogeneity, and monotonicity” over both the American Joint Committee on Cancer and International Union Against Cancer staging systems, although larger studies are needed.

In a video interview at the annual meeting of the Florida Society of Dermatologic Surgeons, Dr. Schmults explained the BWH staging system and shared her clinical advice and recommendations for managing SCC.

[email protected]

On Twitter @naseemmiller

ORLANDO – Squamous cell carcinoma has a direct cost of nearly $300 million a year. Although squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is not as deadly as other forms of skin cancer, it is a serious public health issue, according to Dr. Chrysalyne D. Schmults.

Dr. Schmults of Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, published a study earlier this year introducing a new staging system for SCC, called the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) tumor staging system.

The BWH system, Dr. Schmults and her colleagues wrote, “offers improved distinctiveness, homogeneity, and monotonicity” over both the American Joint Committee on Cancer and International Union Against Cancer staging systems, although larger studies are needed.

In a video interview at the annual meeting of the Florida Society of Dermatologic Surgeons, Dr. Schmults explained the BWH staging system and shared her clinical advice and recommendations for managing SCC.

[email protected]

On Twitter @naseemmiller