The diagnostic challenges of differentiating metastatic extramammary Paget disease and prostatic adenocarcinoma: A case report and review of the literature.

Extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) is a rare dermatologic malignancy with a high rate of recurrence and increased risk for developing secondary malignancies. We present a 74-year-old male with previously resected primary EMPD who presented with widespread PSMA-avid lesions without prostatic uptake, an elevated PSA >100, and a negative prostate biopsy. Based on this and immunohistological staining, recurrent EMPD was suspected.

Society of Surgical Oncology Consensus Statement: Assessing the Evidence for and Utility of Gene Expression Profiling of Primary Cutaneous Melanoma.

Introduction: Gene expression profiling (GEP) of primary cutaneous melanoma aims to offer prognostic and predictive information to guide clinical care. Despite limited evidence of clinical utility, these tests are increasingly incorporated into clinical care.

Methods: A panel of melanoma experts from the Society of Surgical Oncology convened to develop recommendations regarding the use of GEP to guide management of patients with melanoma.

Piloting a National Curricular Resource for the Transition to Surgical Residency: Characteristics of Participating Schools and Their Students.

Objective: To determine the extent to which U.S. Liaison Committee of Medical Education (LCME)-accredited medical schools chose to participate in piloting a national curricular resource, the American College of Surgeons/Association of Program Directors in Surgery/Association of Surgical Education Resident Prep Curriculum ("ACS-surgery-prep curriculum"), and implications of such participation for student access nationally to this resource.

Utilizing Simulation to Evaluate Robotic Skill Acquisition and Learning Decay.

Background: We aim to evaluate how new robotic skills are acquired and retained by having participants train and retest using exercises on the robotic platform. We hypothesized that participants with a 3-month break from the robotic platform will have less learning decay and increased retention compared with those with a 6-month break.

Methods: This was a prospective randomized trial in which participants voluntarily enrolled and completed an initial training phase to reach proficiency in 9 robot simulator exercises.

HIV-1 DNA and Immune Activation Levels Differ for Long-Lived T-Cells in Lymph Nodes, Compared with Peripheral Blood, during Antiretroviral Therapy.

Elucidating the mechanisms underlying the persistence and location of the HIV reservoir is critical for developing cure interventions. While it has been shown that levels of T-cell activation and the size of the HIV reservoir are greater in rectal tissue and lymph nodes (LN) than in blood, the relative contributions of T-cell subsets to this anatomic difference are unknown. We measured and compared HIV-1 DNA content, expression of the T-cell activation markers CD38 and HLA-DR, and expression of the exhaustion markers programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and T-cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domains (TIGIT) in naive, central memory (CM), transitional memory (TM), and effector memory (EM) CD4 and CD8 T-cells in paired blood and LN samples among 14 people with HIV who were receiving antiretroviral therapy.

Oncologic Outcomes of Multi-Institutional Minimally Invasive Inguinal Lymph Node Dissection for Melanoma Compared with Open Inguinal Dissection in the Second Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial (MSLT-II).

Background: Minimally invasive inguinal lymphadenectomy (MILND) is safe and feasible, but limited data exist regarding oncologic outcomes.

Methods: This study performed a multi-institutional retrospective cohort analysis of consecutive MILND performed for melanoma between January 2009 and June 2016. The open ILND (OILND) comparative cohort comprised patients enrolled in the second Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial (MSLT-II) between December 2004 and March 2014.

How We Do It: Remediation Pathways in a Surgical Simulation Curriculum for Competency Improvement.

Objective: Validated assessment of procedural knowledge and skills with formative remediation is a foundational part of achieving surgical competency. High-fidelity simulation programs provide a unique area to assess resident proficiency and independence, as well as to assist in identifying residents in need of further practice. While several studies have validated the use of simulation to attain proficiency of specific technical skills, few have validated remediation pathways for their trainees objectively.

Do Oncologic Outcomes From Head and Neck Versus Truncal and Extremity Melanoma Differ? A Single-Institution Single-Subspecialty Experience.

Background: Outcomes are thought to be worse in head and neck (H&N) melanoma patients. However, definitive evidence of inferior outcomes in H&N melanoma in the modern era is lacking. We sought to ascertain whether H&N melanomas carry a worse prognosis than melanomas of other sites.

Talimogene Laherparepvec (T-VEC) for the Treatment of Advanced Locoregional Melanoma After Failure of Immunotherapy: An International Multi-Institutional Experience.

Background: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an oncolytic virus approved for the treatment of unresectable, recurrent melanoma. The role of T-VEC after progression on systemic immunotherapy (IO) remains undefined. The goal of this study was to characterize the efficacy of T-VEC after failure of IO in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma.

Increased homeostatic cytokines and stability of HIV-infected memory CD4 T-cells identify individuals with suboptimal CD4 T-cell recovery on-ART.

Clinical outcomes are inferior for individuals with HIV having suboptimal CD4 T-cell recovery during antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated if the levels of infection and the response to homeostatic cytokines of CD4 T-cell subsets contributed to divergent CD4 T-cell recovery and HIV reservoir during ART by studying virologically-suppressed immunologic responders (IR, achieving a CD4 cell count >500 cells/μL on or before two years after ART initiation), and virologically-suppressed suboptimal responders (ISR, did not achieve a CD4 cell count >500 cells/μL in the first two years after ART initiation). Compared to IR, ISR demonstrated higher levels of HIV-DNA in naïve, central (CM), transitional (TM), and effector (EM) memory CD4 T-cells in blood, both pre- and on-ART, and specifically in CM CD4 T-cells in LN on-ART.

Trainee Utilization of the SCORE Curriculum is Associated With Improved ABSITE Performance: A Multi-institutional Study.

Background: The Surgical Council on Resident Education's (SCORE) structured educational curriculum for general surgery residents uses a 2-year repeating cycle of modules and quizzes called "This Week in SCORE" (TWIS) to organize and sequence the curricular content on the SCORE portal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of using the SCORE content and TWIS curriculum on American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) performance. To date, no multi-institutional studies have examined this effect.

Relationship between burnout and mistreatment: Who plays a role?

Introduction: Surgery residents have high burnout rates and mistreatment occurs during training. We hypothesized that residents who reported mistreatment would be more likely to experience burnout.

Methods: A multi-institutional observational study asked residents to complete the Maslach Burnout Inventory and to rate how often they experienced mistreatment.

Non-technical skill assessments across levels of US surgical training.

Background: To ensure safe patient care, regulatory bodies worldwide have incorporated non-technical skills proficiency in core competencies for graduation from surgical residency. We describe normative data on non-technical skill ratings of surgical residents across training levels using the US-adapted Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS-US) assessment tool.

Methods: We undertook an exploratory, prospective cohort study of 32 residents-interns (postgraduate year 1), junior residents (postgraduate years 2-3), and senior residents (postgraduate years 4-5)-across 3 US academic surgery residency programs.

The Impact of Obesity on Surgically Treated Locoregional Melanoma.

Background: The impact of obesity on early-stage melanoma is poorly understood. We examined the impact of overweight and obesity on clinical outcomes in locoregional melanoma.

Methods: Adults who underwent surgery at Emory University Healthcare between 2010 and 2017 for clinically stage I-II cutaneous melanoma, with known stage, height, and weight at the time of presentation, were identified.

A longitudinal cadaver-based simulation curriculum creates sustainable increases in resident confidence and exposure to fundamental techniques: Results of a 5-year program evaluation.

Introduction: For the past five years, our surgical residency program has led a cadaver-based simulation course focused on fundamental surgical maneuvers. This study aimed to quantify the impact of this course on resident exposure to surgical skills and longitudinal impact on resident education.

Methods: General surgery residents participated in an annual cadaver-based simulation curriculum.

Do Internal or External Characteristics More Reliably Predict Burnout in Resident Physicians: A Multi-institutional Study.

Introduction: Surgical residents have been shown to experience high rates of burnout. Whether this is influenced predominately by intrinsic characteristics, external factors, or is multifactorial has not been well studied. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between these elements and burnout.

Oncologic Outcomes After Isolated Limb Infusion for Advanced Melanoma: An International Comparison of the Procedure and Outcomes Between the United States and Australia.

Background: Isolated limb infusion (ILI) is a minimally invasive procedure for delivering high-dose chemotherapy to extremities affected by locally advanced or in-transit melanoma. This study compared the outcomes of melanoma patients treated with ILI in the United States of America (USA) and Australia (AUS).

Methods: Patients with locally recurrent in-transit melanoma treated with ILI at USA or AUS centers between 1992 and 2018 were identified.