Is there an association between benzoyl peroxide use and increased blood benzene levels?
Authors of a research letter in JAAD assessed whether there was an association between standard-of-care use of benzoyl peroxide (BP) and blood benzene levels. Fourteen individuals who reported current BP use were matched with 65 controls without BP use. Five (36%) of those using BP and 21 (32%) controls had detectable blood benzene.
[Benzoyl peroxide in acne: Risk of acute myeloid leukemia. Read more.]
The mean level of benzene was 0.04 (0.017-0.22) ng/mL for those using BP and 0.05 (0.017-0.74) ng/mL for controls. There was no association between BP exposure and detectable blood benzene levels or absolute blood benzene levels. The authors concluded that “these results provide reassurance that standard-of-care benzoyl peroxide use might not be associated with incremental risk of benzene exposure. However, these findings do not eliminate the need to take measures to reduce the risk of thermal degradation of benzoyl peroxide products into benzene.”
DermWorld Insights and Inquiries: Pancreatic panniculitis — Getting spooked by ghost cells
I am at the age where the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is a looming fear, punctuated by the loss of my dear aunt Helen and two friends who have succumbed to the ravages of this vicious malignancy. There are several cutaneous manifestations of pancreatic diseases — icterus due to bile duct obstruction from any cause, hemorrhage in pancreatitis (Cullen’s sign around the umbilicus, Grey Turner sign on the flanks, Fox sign from retroperitoneal bleeding tracking to the thighs), cutaneous metastases (most famously the Sister Mary Joseph nodule), necrolytic migratory erythema (glucagonoma), and pancreatic panniculitis (PP). PP is usually associated with acute and chronic pancreatitis, mainly secondary to cholelithiasis, alcohol abuse, drugs, or trauma. Keep reading!
AADA President visits Washington to advocate for Medicare physician payment reform, skin cancer checks
On July 23, AADA President Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD, traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress on the importance of Medicare physician payment reform and its impact on access to care. He also provided an update on the Academy’s White House Cancer Moonshot initiative.
Dr. Desai reiterated that CMS just released the proposed 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule with a 2.8% proposed cut to reimbursement rates. Annual cuts to Medicare physician reimbursement drive up practice closures, having a detrimental impact on the physician workforce and patient access to care, especially in areas already facing shortages. Physicians are already seeing fewer Medicare patients due to the inequity of the physician fee schedule. In the past eight years, private insurance patients have increased by 21% while Medicare patients are down 27%, according to the latest Academy Practice Profile survey.
Additionally, Dr. Desai met with the assistant director of the White House Cancer Moonshot Engagement office and provided an update on the Academy’s efforts in skin cancer prevention, screening, and early detection. Dr. Desai updated White House staff on the Academy’s Firefighter Skin Cancer Check initiative and its progress on reaching 10,000 firefighters over a three-year period. Dr. Desai shared that the program launched on June 1 at the Fire Academy of New York, where 281 firefighters received skin cancer checks from 12 AADA members.
Is there an association between PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors and keratoacanthoma and cSCC?
A research letter published in JAMA Dermatology explored the association between the use of PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors for a variety of malignancies, including non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, and the development of keratoacanthoma (KA) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Of the 158,000 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System related to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors from 2004 to 2023, there were only 43 cases of KA development and 70 cases of cSCC. However, pharmacovigilance analysis found significant safety signals between these medicines and KAs and cSCC.
DermWorld highlights some of the common (and not-so-common) skin complications associated with ICIs and shares expert tips for management. Read more.
CMS released 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule; AADA impact tables available
The AADA has reviewed the proposed 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule from CMS, estimating an overall average 2.95% decrease in payments for dermatologic codes. The 2.9% decrease reflects changes in physician work, practice expense, and malpractice values. However, the total reimbursement impact will vary for individual practitioners based on their specific services and patient mix. Updated tables with the proposed reimbursement amounts are now available. The AADA continues to review the rule and will prepare comments for submission to CMS.
Dapsone gel for acne vulgaris in patients with skin of color
A study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology investigated the efficacy and tolerability of dapsone gel 7.5% for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris in patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI. Treatment with dapsone 7.5% gel, used once daily for 24 weeks, reduced acne severity, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and the occurrence of new acne lesions in patients with skin of color. This therapy also improved acne health-related quality of life and symptoms related to acne, especially with a treatment duration of 18 weeks or longer.
What’s new in the management of acne vulgaris? Read more.
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