November's top dermatology reads include alopecia, vitiligo studies

Research finding that treatment with Xeljanz in adolescents with alopecia areata resulted in significant hair regrowth for the majority of the patients, with mild adverse events, was among the most-read articles so far this month on Healio.com/Dermatology.

Other widely read articles included findings that vitiligo rates increased after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and that experts frequently misdiagnosed melanoma-associated leukoderma as vitiligo in a blinded assessment:

Xeljanz shows promise as treatment for alopecia areata in adolescents

Treatment with Xeljanz in adolescents with alopecia areata resulted in significant hair regrowth for the majority of the patients, with mild adverse events, according to recently published study results.

Brent A. King, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues studied 13 adolescent patients (median age 15 years; 77% male) with alopecia areata treated with Xeljanz (tofacitinib, Pfizer) between July 2014 and May 2016 at a tertiary care center clinic. Read more

FDA grants clearance to Syneron Candela's microneedling device for appearance of cellulite

Syneron Candela announced in a press release that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for Profound, its minimally invasive, fractional radiofrequency microneedling device, when using the SubQ handpiece and cartridge for improving the appearance of cellulite.

The device is indicated for use in dermatologic and general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis. Read more

Vitiligo rates increase after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had a significantly increased rate of vitiligo development compared with controls, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers used the Korean National Health Insurance Claims Database to perform a nationwide, population-based cohort study between 2009 and 2013. Read more

Breslow thickness, male predominance contribute to poorer survival of scalp melanoma

Poorer survival of scalp melanoma is associated with greater Breslow thickness and a higher proportion of male patients, according to study results recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of 900 patients with invasive cutaneous head and neck melanoma (CNHM) seen between October 1994 and February 2014 at a tertiary referral center at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Read more

Melanoma-associated leukoderma may be misdiagnosed as vitiligo

Experts frequently misdiagnosed melanoma-associated leukoderma as vitiligo in a blinded assessment, according to study results recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers conducted a study using clinical photographs of 11 patients with melanoma-associated leukoderma (MAL) and 33 patients with vitiligo at The Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders in Amsterdam. Read more