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Reliability of acne lesion counting
672
Correspondence
groups of patients treated and followed up prospectively with renal function and possibly structural studies.
Nicholas J. Lowe, MD 2001 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404-2115
Reliability of acne lesion counting To the Editor." The article by Lucky et al. on the reliability of acne lesion counting (J Am Acad Dermatol 1996;35:559-65) is not only a useful confirmation of current thinking in clinical acne research but also an excellent object lesson to those who take for granted so-called "common knowledge." Unfortunately, too many of us lecture on subjects and then fail to publish the information so that it becomes a permanent part of our medical and scientific knowledge. Acne lesion counting is a good example of this lapse. To our knowledge lesion counting was popularized in this country at the acne clinic at the University of Pennsylvania by James Fulton, James Leyden, and Gerd Plewig who were working with Albert Kligman. This technique was modified by Harriet Harris, Samuel Franks, and Alan Shalita at the New York University Medical Center and became a permanent part of the record of the Skin and Cancer Unit of Unversity Hospital, New York. The latter method involved dividing the face into forehead, right and left cheeks, and chin without the
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology October 1997
template used later by Lucky et al. These methods of acne lesion counting were presented on numerous occasions at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Dermatology in the late 1960s and early 1970s and became the basis of the case report forms used for most acne medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration during the past 25 years. The intrainvestigator reliability has been confirmed by many pharmaceutical manufacturers and was a subject of discussion during the Food and Drug Administration Advisory meetings on acne treatment medications. Unfortunately, none of this interesting information was ever published and resides only in the memories of those senior investigators who were active at the time. Perhaps this letter will stimulate further communication from other ghosts of the past.
Alan R. Shalita, MDa James J. Leyden, Jr., MD b Albert M. Kligman, MD, PhDb Department of Dermatology SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn 450 Clarkson Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11203a Department of Dermatology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine 3600 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA 19104b
Correspondence
groups of patients treated and followed up prospectively with renal function and possibly structural studies.
Nicholas J. Lowe, MD 2001 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404-2115
Reliability of acne lesion counting To the Editor." The article by Lucky et al. on the reliability of acne lesion counting (J Am Acad Dermatol 1996;35:559-65) is not only a useful confirmation of current thinking in clinical acne research but also an excellent object lesson to those who take for granted so-called "common knowledge." Unfortunately, too many of us lecture on subjects and then fail to publish the information so that it becomes a permanent part of our medical and scientific knowledge. Acne lesion counting is a good example of this lapse. To our knowledge lesion counting was popularized in this country at the acne clinic at the University of Pennsylvania by James Fulton, James Leyden, and Gerd Plewig who were working with Albert Kligman. This technique was modified by Harriet Harris, Samuel Franks, and Alan Shalita at the New York University Medical Center and became a permanent part of the record of the Skin and Cancer Unit of Unversity Hospital, New York. The latter method involved dividing the face into forehead, right and left cheeks, and chin without the
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology October 1997
template used later by Lucky et al. These methods of acne lesion counting were presented on numerous occasions at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Dermatology in the late 1960s and early 1970s and became the basis of the case report forms used for most acne medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration during the past 25 years. The intrainvestigator reliability has been confirmed by many pharmaceutical manufacturers and was a subject of discussion during the Food and Drug Administration Advisory meetings on acne treatment medications. Unfortunately, none of this interesting information was ever published and resides only in the memories of those senior investigators who were active at the time. Perhaps this letter will stimulate further communication from other ghosts of the past.
Alan R. Shalita, MDa James J. Leyden, Jr., MD b Albert M. Kligman, MD, PhDb Department of Dermatology SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn 450 Clarkson Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11203a Department of Dermatology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine 3600 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA 19104b