Faculty Bibliography

Postirradiation morphea (PIM) is a rare and potentially disabling cutaneous complication of radiotherapy, affecting approximately 2 in every 1000 patients treated with radiotherapy. Only 67 cases are reported in the literature to date, and treatment data is reported in only roughly half of cases. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to characterize the nature and treatment of patients with PIM. Using two medical record databases at New York University, we reviewed all charts with ICD-9 code 701.0 to identify all patients with PIM at a large tertiary care center from 2007 to 2015. Nine patients with PIM were identified. All were female and had a history of radiotherapy for breast cancer. Mean age of onset was 58 years. Where data were available, 40% (n = 2) developed PIM within 1 year of first radiation exposure, 40% (n= 2) within 1-5 years, and 20% (n =1) after 5 years. Sixty seven percent (n = 6) had PIM extending beyond the irradiation field to sites including the contralateral breast, abdomen, back, groin, and extremities. Fifty-six percent (n = 5) were asymptomatic, 33% (n = 3) had pruritus, and 11% (n = 1) had pain. One patient had a history of radiation dermatitis. None had a history of connective tissue disease. All were referred to a dermatologist. Where treatment data were available, all (n = 8) were treated with topical agents including dapsone, corticosteroids, calcipotriol, azeilaic acid, and tacrolimus. Only 1 patient had substantial improvement with topical therapy alone (dapsone); the remainder had no or partial improvement. The majority of patients (n=5) required systemic agents including methotrexate, etanercept, doxycycline, colchicine, calcitriol, pentoxifylline, and/or phototherapy. MTX, although only utilized in 2 patients, led to substantial improvement in both. Overall, PIM was treatment refractory with 50% (n = 4) of patients requiring trials of three or more treatment regimens and the majority (n = 5) requiring treatment for greater than six months. In conclusion, this study represents the largest PIM cohort since 1989 and the largest study to date to report on PIM therapy. This study highlights the recalcitrant and potentially chronic nature of PIM, as well as the diverse nature of PIM in terms of symptoms, latency period from radiotherapy, and areas of involvement. Additional study is needed to further characterize PIM

Erythema migrans is the initial sign in the majority of patients infected with Borrelia, the genus of spirochetes that causes Lyme disease. Early identification and treatment decrease the risk of progression to later stages of disease. Although a "bull's eye" appearance owing to lesional clearing is considered classic for erythema migrans, this feature is surprisingly often lacking among patients in the United States. Furthermore, cutaneous Lyme disease can exhibit a wide range of morphologic variability in a minority of patients. Herein, we describe the case of a patient with Lyme disease in which the presence of atypical vesicular features, in conjunction with the initial absence of clearing, resulted in multiple misdiagnoses and delayed treatment. We also review the literature on the epidemiology and management of erythema migrans for cases in which the diagnosis may pose a challenge.