Nicholas Brownstone (editor) - Biologic Therapy for Psoriasis: Cutting Edge Treatment Principles

Updates in Clinical Dermatology aims to promote the rapid and efficient transfer of medical research into clinical practice. It is published in four volumes per year. Covering new developments and innovations in all fields of clinical dermatology, it provides the clinician with a review and summary of recent research and its implications for clinical practice. Each volume is focused on a clinically relevant topic and explains how research results impact diagnostics, treatment options and procedures as well as patient management. The reader-friendly volumes are highly structured with core messages, summaries, tables, diagrams and illustrations and are written by internationally well-known experts in the field. A volume editor supervises the authors in his/her field of expertise in order to ensure that each volume provides cutting-edge information most relevant and useful for clinical dermatologists. Contributions to the series are peer reviewed by an editorial board.

More information about this series at https://link.springer.com/bookseries/13203

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

I am honored to have been asked to write the foreword for this book. Biologic therapy has revolutionized treatment for psoriasis. Moreover, this transformation occurred in an amazingly short time period, well within my career in dermatology. When I started as the Director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Psoriasis and Skin Treatment Center back in 1988, the main options available for generalized psoriasis were methotrexate, PUVA, and Goeckerman therapy. Cyclosporine was only being tested for FDA approval and most dermatologists stayed away from any internal medications out of fear for possible side effects. This resulted in rampant undertreatment of psoriasis with consequently untold misery for the patients. Today, biologics have spearheaded the transformation of our specialty, where systemic agents are much more widely accepted by dermatologists. Along with all the providers in dermatology, I am fortunate to have witnessed this incredible transformation; I truly feel like Orville Wright (of the Wright Brothers) who became the first human being to fly on an airplane and live to see its evolution into jet planes.

This book is the most up to date and clinically useful source of information for biologic treatments of psoriasis. In this critically important area of dermatological day-to-day practice, any busy clinician or trainee in dermatology will find this book indispensable. Moreover, this book is written with such clarity and user friendliness that it will not only teach you highly relevant practical tips, but it will also be enjoyable to read. I am certain this book will enhance your knowledge which will help patients with all different types of psoriatic disease who are treated with biologic therapy.

As is true with the practice of medicine, the treatment of psoriasis with biologic agents is both an art and a science. Given that there are now over 10 FDA-approved biologic agents for psoriasis (with more in the pipeline), confusion exists among providers regarding which agent is best for a particular patient. This book will cover all FDA-approved biologic agents as well as pipeline agents for use in pediatric and adult patients. This book is unique in that it will not only cover cutting-edge treatment principles based on the latest research but will also be one of the most comprehensive reviews of psoriasis biologics in the COVID-19 era. Highlights of this book include discussions on treatment of special sites (genital, scalp, and nail disease), treatment in special populations (e.g., elderly, patients with a history of malignancy, and those undergoing surgery), and how to optimize patient compliance with biologic therapy. We believe that practicing dermatologists and rheumatologists, dermatology and rheumatology trainees, and medical students will all have something new to learn from this book.

The authors contributing to this book have outstanding expertise in the field of psoriasis and biologic therapy. Because general treatment principles do not change, even as novel agents are released, we expect this book to be relevant for many years. The ultimate goal of this book is to improve patient care by making the busy practitioner more adept and comfortable with the use of these particular therapies. If the knowledge you gain from reading this book helps even one patient, we view that as a success!