.. Although over 3.6 million basal and squamous cell carcinoma (collectively termed non-melanoma skin cancer or NMSC) and almost 40 million pre-cursor lesions (actinic keratosis) are treated in the US each year, these skin lesions are not dangerous. I have argued that for many frail, older adults at the end of life, the risks of treatment of these highly prevalent tumors may often outweigh the benefits, making nonsurgical management, including active surveillance, a reasonable management option. As these are ubiquitous, slow- growing tumors, patients should be informed of the risks and benefits of all management options in order to make choices consistent with their clinical characteristics, values, and preferences. My goal in applying for a Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award is to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to address the needs of older dermatologic patients with a new outlook informed by geriatrics. I recognize that the science of aging requires a unique skill set, and I cannot be successful in this new field without specific training and mentorship in geriatrics. To accomplish my goals, I need a deeper understanding of geriatric research principles and clinical geriatrics as well as new research skills in qualitative research, patient recruitment, primary data collection, and development and testing of decision tools. Together with my mentoring team, I have developed a rigorous training program that includes outstanding mentoring, structured tutorials, didactic coursework, and presentations at local and national conferences. This training plan will enable me to apply core principles of geriatric science and shared decision- making to the field of dermatology, which will ultimately improve individualized patient-centered dermatology care for older adults. My central hypothesis is that older adults who are fully informed and engaged in management decisions will likely choose more conservative treatment options, report fewer complications, higher satisfaction, and better quality of life. In preparation for testing this hypothesis, I propose to determine the extent of actinic keratosis procedure use near the end of life, using a national database of older adults (Aim 1). By conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups with patients, caregivers, and physicians, I will learn about patients' knowledge and preferences about NMSC and actinic keratoses treatment and barriers to shared decision-making.
(Aim 2). This work will result in a set of evidence-based and patient-driven decision tools that can be used in clinical practice (Aim 3). Accomplishing these aims will provide the preliminary data needed to develop a competitive R01 application to test my central hypothesis by determining how these decision tools impact treatment utilization and patient-reported outcomes in a randomized, controlled trial of patients with limited life expectancy.

Public Health Relevance

.. Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and its precursors, Actinic Keratoses (AK) are extremely common, but these lesions are not dangerous, and current treatment practices may not be optimal for older adults. There is an urgent need to understand the extent of potential over-treatment of AKs among older adults and to involve patients in their own management decisions. The proposed work will evaluate the extent of AK procedure use at the end of life, and develop evidence-based decision tools for NMSC tailored to older adults.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Project #
7K76AG054631-04
Application #
9821464
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAG1)
Program Officer
Salive, Marcel
Project Start
2016-09-15
Project End
2019-05-31
Budget Start
2018-02-15
Budget End
2019-05-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Stanford University
Department
Dermatology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
009214214
City
Stanford
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94304
Wehner, Mackenzie R; Cidre Serrano, Wilmarie; Nosrati, Adi et al. (2018) All-cause mortality in patients with basal and squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Acad Dermatol 78:663-672.e3
Wehner, M R; Dalma, N; Landefeld, C et al. (2018) Natural history of lesions suspicious for basal cell carcinoma in older adults in Ikaria, Greece. Br J Dermatol 179:767-768
Park, Joyce H; Christman, Mitalee P; Linos, Eleni et al. (2018) Dermatology on Instagram: An Analysis of Hashtags. J Drugs Dermatol 17:482-484
Riano, Nicholas S; Linos, Eleni; Accurso, Erin C et al. (2018) Paid Family and Childbearing Leave Policies at Top US Medical Schools. JAMA 319:611-614
Gao, Yi; Arron, Sarah T; Linos, Eleni et al. (2018) Indoor Tanning, Sunless Tanning, and Sun-Protection Behaviors Among Sexual Minority Men. JAMA Dermatol 154:477-479
Linos, Eleni; Pagoto, Sherry (2018) USPSTF Recommendations for Behavioral Counseling for Skin Cancer Prevention: Throwing Shade on UV Radiation. JAMA Intern Med 178:609-611
Drucker, Aaron M; Li, Wen-Qing; Cho, Eunyoung et al. (2018) Shingles and pneumonia and risk of cutaneous basal and squamous cell carcinoma. J Am Acad Dermatol :
Nosrati, Adi; Pimentel, Matthew A; Falzone, Ashley et al. (2018) Skin cancer prevention messages on Facebook: Likes, shares, and comments. J Am Acad Dermatol 79:582-585.e1
Nosrati, Adi; Berliner, Jacqueline G; Goel, Shilpa et al. (2017) Outcomes of Melanoma In Situ Treated With Mohs Micrographic Surgery Compared With Wide Local Excision. JAMA Dermatol 153:436-441
Wehner, Mackenzie R; Nead, Kevin T; Linos, Eleni (2017) Correlation Among Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates and Internet Searches in the United States. JAMA Dermatol 153:911-914

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