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The first patient presented with new-onset LP, whereas the second patient experienced an extensive LP flare after a 10-year remission. New-onset lichen planus and lichen planus flare in elderly women after COVID-19 vaccination Dear Editor, Owing to the widespread use of COVID-19 vaccines, the number of cutaneous vaccine-related adverse events has recently increased.1 We present two cases of lichen planus in elderly women following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. [Extracted from the article]

Higher levels of interleukin IL-17 and antigen-specific IL-17 responses in pulmonary sarcoidosis patients with Löfgren's syndrome. Recently, several biologics have been associated with the development of new-onset or exacerbation of prior sarcoidosis.1-5 We report a case of new-onset sarcoidosis induced by secukinumab in a patient with severe plaque psoriasis. Brodalumab, which blocks all IL-17 isoforms, does not appear to be associated with sarcoidosis; thus, it may serve as a possible therapeutic option for patients requiring IL-17 blockade, who have suspected biologic induced sarcoidosis. [Extracted from the article]

Season of birth, a surrogate of seasonal variation of environmental exposures, has been associated with increased risk of several cancers. In the context of a Southern‐Eastern Europe (SEE) consortium, we explored the potential association of birth seasonality with childhood (0–14 years) central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Primary CNS tumor cases (n = 6,014) were retrieved from 16 population‐based SEE registries (1983–2015). Poisson regression and meta‐analyses on birth season were performed in nine countries with available live birth data (n = 4,987). Subanalyses by birth month, age, gender and principal histology were also conducted. Children born during winter were at a slightly increased risk of developing a CNS tumor overall [incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.06, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.99–1.14], and of embryonal histology specifically (IRR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.01–1.27). The winter peak of embryonal tumors was higher among boys (IRR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05–1.46), especially during the first 4 years of life (IRR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.03–1.71). In contrast, boys <5 years born during summer seemed to be at a lower risk of embryonal tumors (IRR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54–0.99). A clustering of astrocytomas was also found among girls (0–14 years) born during spring (IRR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.03–1.46). Although the present exploratory results are by no means definitive, they provide some indications for age‐, gender‐ and histology‐related seasonal variations of CNS tumors. Expansion of registration and linkage with cytogenetic reports could refine if birth seasonality is causally associated with CNS tumors and shed light into the complex pathophysiology of this lethal disease. What's new? Does the risk of developing childhood central nervous system (CNS) tumors depend on the season of birth? The answer is yes. Age‐, gender‐ and histology‐related seasonal variations of CNS tumors were found, namely a winter birth clustering among boys with embryonal tumors, mostly marked in the course of the first four years of life. The authors recommend an expansion of cancer registration and linkage with cytogenetics that could refine if birth seasonality is a potential indicator of early‐life exposures associated with CNS tumor risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood (0-14 years) lymphomas, nowadays, present a highly curable malignancy compared with other types of cancer. We used readily available cancer registration data to assess mortality and survival disparities among children residing in Southern-Eastern European (SEE) countries and those in the United States. Average age-standardized mortality rates and time trends of Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin (NHL; including Burkitt [BL]) lymphomas in 14 SEE cancer registries (1990-2014) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER, United States; 1990-2012) were calculated. Survival patterns in a total of 8918 cases distinguishing also BL were assessed through Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox regression models. Variable, rather decreasing, mortality trends were noted among SEE. Rates were overall higher than that in SEER (1.02/106 ), which presented a sizeable (-4.8%, P = .0001) annual change. Additionally, remarkable survival improvements were manifested in SEER (10 years: 96%, 86%, and 90% for HL, NHL, and BL, respectively), whereas diverse, still lower, rates were noted in SEE. Non-HL was associated with a poorer outcome and an amphi-directional age-specific pattern; specifically, prognosis was inferior in children younger than 5 years than in those who are 10 to 14 years old from SEE (hazard ratio 1.58, 95% confidence interval 1.28-1.96) and superior in children who are 5 to 9 years old from SEER/United States (hazard ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.46-0.88) than in those who are 10 to 14 years old. In conclusion, higher SEE lymphoma mortality rates than those in SEER, but overall decreasing trends, were found. Despite significant survival gains among developed countries, there are still substantial geographic, disease subtype-specific, and age-specific outcome disparities pointing to persisting gaps in the implementation of new treatment modalities and indicating further research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]