The patient journey : a report of skin cancer care across Europe

Summary - Background: There are poorly documented variations in the journey a skin cancer patient will follow from diagnosis to treatment in the European Union. Objectives: To investigate the possible difficulties or obstacles that a person with a skin malignancy in the European Union may have to overcome in order to receive adequate medical screening and care for his/her condition. In addition, we wished to explore differences in European health systems, which may lead to health inequalities and health inequities within Europe. Methods: Ten European countries took part in this investigation (in alphabetical order): Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Spain, the Netherlands and the U.K. The individual participants undertook local and national enquiries within their own country and completed a questionnaire. Results This exercise has identified important differences in the management of a skin cancer patient, reflecting major disparities in health care between European countries. Conclusions: Further investigation of health disparities and efforts to address health inequalities should lead to improvements in European health care quality and reduction in morbidity from skin cancer.This publication arises from the EPIDERM project, which was funded by the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EPIDERM project: PHEA 2007- A ⁄100994 HI). Funding for publication of this supplement was provided by the European Skin Cancer Foundation (ESCF).peer-reviewe

MICROBIOME ANALYSIS IN PATIENTS WITH PSORIASIS

Psoriasis is a skin condition that occurs as a result of the interaction between predisposing genetic factors, immunological factors and external triggers. Studies have highlighted the important role played by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes in inducing, maintaining or exacerbating psoriasis lesions. Thus, the study of skin microbe in patients with psoriasis is considered to be extremely important and complementary to genetic and immunological research. New advances in new generation sequencing technologies allow for a better understanding of genetic mechanisms alteration in psoriasis. Studies performed so far show variable results, apparently due to the associated limitations, which imply that a standardized protocol for the sampling and processing of analyzed samples is a priority measure

Lipid profile and comorbidities in patients with psoriasis vulgaris

Background and Aim: Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disorder with important influence on the lipid profile, insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to compare the lipid profile of classical therapy versus anti-TNFs patients and asses the associated diseases. Methods: We conducted a prospective study. Patients’ data were collected from two Romanian Dermatology Clinics, during the period January 2015 – June 2016. The patients were divided into two groups: study group (on TNF inhibitors) and control group (on classical treatment). Results: The subjects in the study group had more associated diseases and much more patients suffered from dyslipidemia. There were not statistically significant differences in the lipid profile between the two groups. But eliminating patients treated with Acitretin and Methotrexate, a p-value of 0.0259 (significant statistically) was observed when comparing the values of triglycerides in the two groups. Conclusions: We did not observe a beneficial effect of the TNF inhibitors therapy in psoriatic patients on the lipid profile. Subjects on biological treatment suffer from a more severe form of psoriasis vulgaris and associate much more comorbidities