The GERMELATOX DeCOG-trial : German melanoma patients and their attitude toward toxicity during adjuvant interferon treatment

TPS9113^ Background: Although trials of adjuvant interferon alfa-2b (IFN alpha-2b) in high-risk melanoma patients suggest improvement in disease-free survival (DFS), a metaanalysis could only show ...

Diagnosis and treatment of xerosis cutis - a position paper.

Background and rationale Xerosis cutis (also referred to as xeroderma, dry skin, asteatosis) affects more than 10 million individuals in Germany. It is among the most common dermatological diagnoses and a cardinal symptom of many dermatological, internal and neurological diseases. Even though it has been established that basic skin care plays a significant role in the management of patients with xerosis cutis, there are as yet no evidence-based algorithms for diagnosis and treatment. Objective The present position paper provides physicians across all specialties with a practical, symptom-based approach to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of xerosis cutis. Methods Within a structured …

Fear of progression in patients with low-risk malignant melanoma.

e21615 Fear of progression in patients with low-risk malignant melanoma Fear of cancer progression (FoP) is one of the problems most commonly reported by cancer patients and is among the most prevalent cancer-related worries in cancer survivors. FCR is highly variable in different cancer entities. Background: This study aimed to elicit the prevalence and significance of FCR in melanoma patients with low risk tumors and further to assess psychosocial and demographic factors predicting severity of FoP as well as to determine the impact of FoP on quality of life (QoL). Methods: In total, 133 patients with low-risk melanoma (pT1a) completed the short version of the Fear of Progression Question…

Baseline factors affecting closure of venous leg ulcers

Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize factors associated with closure of venous leg ulcers (VLUs) in a pooled analysis of subjects from three randomized clinical trials. Methods: Closure of VLUs after treatment with HP802-247, an allogeneic living cell therapy consisting of growth-arrested human keratinocytes and fibroblasts, vs standard therapy with compression bandaging was evaluated in three phase 3 clinical trials of similar design. Two trials enrolled subjects with VLUs ranging from 2 cm2 to 12 cm2 in area with 12-week treatment periods; the third trial enrolled subjects with VLUs between >12 cm2 and #36 cm2 with a 16-week treatment period. The first trial went to …

Positionspapier: Diagnostik und Therapie der Xerosis cutis.

Hintergrund und rationale Die Xerosis cutis (Synonym: Xerodermie, trockene Haut, hydrolipidarme Haut) ist mit > 10 Millionen Betroffenen nicht nur eine der haufigsten dermatologischen Diagnosen in Deutschland, sondern auch Leitsymptom vieler dermatologischer, internistischer und neurologischer Erkrankungen. Trotz der medizinischen Relevanz der topischen Basistherapie fur die Xerosis cutis gibt es in Deutschland fur ihr Management bisher keinen wissenschaftlich belegten Diagnostik- und Therapiealgorithmus. ZIEL: Dieses Positionspapier vermittelt Arzten fachubergreifend einen an individuellen Symptomen orientierten, praxisnahen Leitfaden fur die Pravention, Diagnostik und Therapie der Xerosis…

Characteristics and determinants of patient burden and needs in the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria

Objectives: Treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is based on evidence-based guidelines. However, specific patient needs and benefits from therapy have not been differentiated on the guideline level. The current study was designed to use the first part of the PBI, the PNQ, to characterize[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL]

S2k guidelines for the treatment of psoriasis in children and adolescents - Short version part 1.

The present guidelines are aimed at residents and board-certified physicians in the fields of dermatology, pediatrics, pediatric dermatology and pediatric rheumatology as well as policymakers and insurance funds. They were developed by dermatologists and pediatric dermatologists in collaboration with pediatric rheumatologists using a formal consensus process (S2k). The guidelines highlight topics such as disease severity, quality of life, treatment goals as well as problems associated with off-label drug therapy in children. Trigger factors and diagnostic aspects are discussed. The primary focus is on the various topical, systemic and UV-based treatment options available and includes recomm…

Willingness to pay for a cure of low-risk melanoma patients in Germany

Malignant melanoma is potentially life-threatening but in most cases curable if detected early. Willingness to pay (WTP) is a preference-based construct that reflects burden of disease by assessment of the monetary value for a hypothetical cure from disease. Since WTP (directly as total amount of money) has not been assessed so far in patients with low risk melanoma, it was interesting to gain insights in this patient population and then, in a second step, compare it directly with the WTP of their treating dermato-oncologists. WTP was assessed in 125 patients with low-risk melanoma and additionally in 105 treating physicians, asking for the one-time and continuous payments they would be wil…

S2k guidelines for the treatment of psoriasis in children and adolescents - Short version part 2.

The present guidelines are aimed at residents and board-certified physicians in the fields of dermatology, pediatrics, pediatric dermatology and pediatric rheumatology as well as policymakers and insurance funds. They were developed by dermatologists and pediatric dermatologists in collaboration with pediatric rheumatologists using a formal consensus process (S2k). The guidelines highlight topics such as disease severity, quality of life, treatment goals as well as problems associated with off-label drug therapy in children. Trigger factors and diagnostic aspects are discussed. The primary focus is on the various topical, systemic and UV-based treatment options available and includes recomm…

The GERMELATOX DeCOG-trial: Attitude of German melanoma patients towards toxicity during adjuvant interferon treatment-Differences between the patient's and the physician's perspective

e20099 Background: Although trials of adjuvant interferon alfa-2b (IFNa-2b) in high-risk melanoma patients suggest improvement in disease-free survival (DFS), metaanalyses showed only a marginal ov...

Epidemiology of urticaria in German children

Background To date, robust epidemiological metrics as well as data on comorbidity in pediatric urticaria are lacking. They form the basis for the design of efficient healthcare. Methods Retrospective study to analyze epidemiological data in pediatric urticaria. The analysis is based on routine data of a health insurance company operating throughout Germany (DAK-Gesundheit). Insured people under 18 years of age who received at least one confirmed outpatient or inpatient urticaria diagnosis according to the ICD-10 classification in the years 2010 to 2015 were included in the analysis and compared to children without a corresponding diagnosis. Results Of 2.3 million insured individuals, 313,58…

S2k-Leitlinie zur Diagnostik und Therapie des chronischen Pruritus - Update - Kurzversion

Prevalence, predictors and comorbidity of dry skin in the general population

Background Dry skin is a frequent and multifaceted condition which can be associated with skin irritation, itch, patient discomfort and manifest skin disease. In spite of being frequent, little is known about the epidemiology of dry skin in the population. Objective To determine the prevalence of dry skin in the German adult population. Methods Data of 48 630 employed persons were assessed on a cross-sectional level in whole-body examinations by experienced dermatologists during company-based skin screenings conducted in 343 German companies. Next to the current dermatologic findings, age, gender, allergies, atopic diseases and the skin type were assessed. Results In total, n = 14 300 perso…

S2k guidelines for the use of topical preparations on the skin

The present guidelines are aimed at dermatology residents and board-certified dermatologists as well as policymakers and insurance companies. Developed by dermatologists in collaboration with pharmacists using a formal consensus process (S2k), they include general aspects with respect to pharmacokinetics and regulatory terminology. Recommendations are provided on the various indications for extemporaneous preparations and their quality assurance. The importance of pharmaceutical vehicles and problems associated with substituting one vehicle for another are discussed. The guidelines include criteria for choosing a suitable pharmaceutical vehicle and for specific aspects in terms of treatment…

S2k-Leitlinie zum Gebrauch von Präparationen zur lokalen Anwendung auf der Haut (Topika)

Diese Leitlinie richtet sich an Assistenz- und Facharzte der Dermatologie sowie an Kostentrager und politische Entscheidungsgremien. Die Leitlinie wurde im formellen Konsensusverfahren (S2k) von Dermatologen unter Einbindung von Apothekern erstellt. Die Leitlinie stellt allgemeine Aspekte der Pharmakokinetik sowie der regulatorischen Begrifflichkeiten dar. Es werden Empfehlungen zur Indikation von Magistralrezepturen sowie deren Qualitatssicherung gegeben. Die Bedeutung der galenischen Grundlagen und die Problematik bei einer Substitution gegeneinander verschiedener Grundlagen werden dargestellt. Die Leitlinie umfasst Kriterien zur Auswahl einer adaquaten Grundlage sowie spezifische Aspekte…

Fear of cancer progression in patients with stage IA malignant melanoma.

We aimed to determine the prevalence and importance of fear of cancer progression (FoP) in melanoma patients with stage IA tumours to assess psychosocial and demographic factors associated with severity of FoP and to determine the relationship of FoP and quality of life (QoL). One hundred and thirty-six patients with stage IA melanoma completed the short version of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire (FoP-Q-SF), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the EORTC-QLQ-C30. We found a mean FoP-Q-SF sum score of 30.2 points (±8.4 points SD). In this study, 33% of patients reported high FoP at or above the cutoff-value of 34 points. Higher FoP was found in women (p < 0.01), young (…