Supportive Oncodermatology Clinic
Patients with many types of (skin and non-skin) cancer will be affected by skin diseases either related to the cancer itself, or related to the treatment of their cancer. The anticipation, prevention, diagnosis, and management of these skin diseases is the focus of the Supportive Oncodermatology subspecialty.
Many cancer therapies have characteristic side effects in the skin, and often these will be identified and managed by oncologists or general dermatologists. Despite our knowledge about these side effects, they sometimes do not respond to standard treatments, and can be severely damaging to a patient's quality of life or interfere with their planned cancer therapy. Oncodermatologists are most helpful when side effects have unexpected features, do not respond to standard treatments, or are related to treatments that are new or experimental.
Skin Care in Collaboration with your Oncology Team
We work with your oncology team to minimize the impact of skin side effects to your cancer treatment. Our goal is to prevent skin problems from interfering with your life or the delivery of your cancer therapy.
Oncodermatology is a rapidly expanding field. In general, we make ourselves available rapidly to patients currently receiving cancer treatment and having a skin problem that is considered possibly related to that treatment. While not an exhaustive list, typical situations that we see include:
- Skin reactions to chemotherapy
- Skin reactions to targeted therapies
- Skin reactions to immunotherapy
- Radiation-related skin disease and skin changes
- Graft-versus-host disease or other post-transplant skin concerns
- Preventative care and skin checks for patients with cancer
- Problems with mucosal surfaces (mouth, nose, eyes, genitals), hair, and nails related to cancer treatment
These situations are appropriate for general dermatologic care, and so do not need to be seen in oncodermatology clinic:
- Skin cancer screening for patients without a cancer history or who have exclusively had skin-limited squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma
- Reactions to non-oncologic medications in patients without a history of cancer
Dr. Hornick specializes in the set of skin problems that are unique to patients undergoing the treatment of cancers. His goal is to help patients and their oncologists anticipate, manage, and minimize the impact of these common problems during cancer therapy. In the laboratory, Dr. Hornick investigates the ways in which these medication reactions are related to other common skin diseases, which he believes will help inform the treatment of both.
In his spare time, Dr. Hornick enjoys spending time with his wife and two cats, exploring the Pacific Northwest, playing and listening to music, and spending time outside doing whatever activity the weather is encouraging.
For Medical Providers
In order to make sure the Supportive Oncodermatology Clinic is right for you and your patients, our access team analyzes the referral details for certain criteria. Please find the below information on patient triage and how to schedule referral. If you have an urgent concern about a patient currently on oncologic therapy that you feel is appropriate for us, please send an Epic Inbasket Message to Dr. Hornick.
The Supportive Oncodermatology Specialty Clinic is appropriate for cancer patients who:
- are currently experiencing a skin condition that may be related to their treatment
- are preparing to resume treatment with an agent that previously caused a cutaneous reaction, especially if that reaction led to treatment interruption
- have a skin condition that is likely to be negatively impacted by planned cancer therapy (for example, chronic atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, or bullous pemphigoid in a patient who is planning to start immunotherapy)
- have undergone stem cell transplant and have a skin condition concerning for GVHD
- have a cancer or a history of cancer that requires expedited skin cancer screening (excluding skin-limited basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas)
If you would like to refer a patient to the Supportive Oncodermatology Specialty Clinic, send a referral with relevant chart notes and labs to our referral intake center. Please indicate that you are referring a patient to the Supportive Oncodermatology Specialty Clinic.
Referral intake center fax: 503-346-6854
Our access team will analyze your request and schedule the patient accordingly. If the patient does not meet our guidelines for the Supportive Oncodermatology Specialty Clinic they will be scheduled with another provider that is also capable of assessing their needs.