Latour, Emile J.

BACKGROUND The use of Mohs micrographic surgery as a treatment for melanoma is rising, but the reliability of Mohs surgeons in assessing MART-1 melanoma en-face margins has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE To evaluate interrater and intrarater reliability of Mohs surgeons in interpreting margins of early-stage melanoma. METHODS Twenty Mohs surgeons were asked to independently review images of frozen section MART-1 en-face peripheral margins of in situ or early-stage melanoma. Surgeons determined margins as positive or negative at initial evaluation and 6 weeks later. Primary outcomes were interrater and intrarater reliability. RESULTS Interrater agreement was 84.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 75.5%–92.8%) for assessment 1 and 87.5% (95% CI: 78.4%–96.4%) for assessment 2, with kappa values 0.68 (95% CI: 0.50–0.82) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.57–0.88). Average intrarater percent agreement was 95.0% (95% CI: 70.6%–100.0%) with average kappa 0.90 (95% CI: 0.50–1.00). CONCLUSION Substantial interrater and nearly perfect intrarater agreement was identified among surgeons assessing melanoma margins utilizing MART-1 immunostaining, demonstrating consistent and reproducible assessment of melanoma margins during Mohs cases.

Abstract Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) lacks consensus regarding treatment, and no prior studies assess treatment satisfaction in PG. The objective of this study was to determine patient‐reported satisfaction in the treatment of PG, and associations with satisfaction. Methodology was a multicenter cross‐sectional survey for patients who received systemic medication(s) to treat PG. Thirty‐five patients completed the survey (mean age: 54.0 years, 65.7% female, response rate: 81.4%). Mean (± SD) SATMED‐Q score was 75.0 (±16.2, range: 67.6‐85.3). Older patients (72.6 ± 23.6 for 18‐39 years, 74.4 ± 16.1 for 40‐59, 77.1 ± 11.6 for 60+), plus those with higher incomes (72.9 ± 20.3 for $0‐49 000; 74.0 ± 17.6 for $50 000‐99 000; 79.0 ± 14.6 for $100 000+) and education status (69.4 ± 14.3 for high school equivalent, 72.9 ± 15.9 for undergraduate, 91.7 ± 10.6 for graduate), were more satisfied with treatment. Ulcerative PG had higher SATMED‐Q scores (79.0 ± 13.2) than other subtypes (66.2 ± 19.3). For local therapy, wound care, or pain control, 63.2%, 100%, and 75% were satisfied, respectively. The mean DLQI was 8.6 (±7.6, range: 0‐29), and higher DLQI was associated with decreased satisfaction. Satisfaction with providers was positively correlated with global satisfaction (Pearson's r = 0.638). The presence of pain and/or depression influenced both SATMED‐Q (72.8 ± 18.8 with pain, 78.3 ± 11.2 without; 68.2 ± 18.8 with depression, 80.1 ± 12.2 without) and DLQI scores (12.1 ± 8.1 with pain, 3.9 ± 3.4 without; 10.3 ± 7.1 with depression, 7.4 ± 8.0 without). To optimize the patient experience, non‐modifiable associations should be individually considered, and potentially modifiable associations such as satisfaction with specific providers, pain, and depression, may be targeted for management.