User:Mitochondriac22/sandbox

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Practice Editing Here (Nov 23rd in-class Wiki session work)

 * This is a place to practice clicking the "edit" button and practice adding references (via the citation button).
 * Mycosis fungoides
 * Sézary syndrome

Assignment # 3
PROPOSED CHANGES
 * Note: You will be emailing your assignment # 3 directly to your tutor, however, please paste a version here that excludes your personal information. This will allow us to support your efforts on Wikipedia prior to editing "live" in the article.

If mycosis fungoides develops to meet the criteria for Sézary syndrome, it is referred to as leukemic mycosis fungoides, Sézary syndrome preceded by mycosis fungoides, or secondary mycosis fungoides. People with this stage of the condition usually present with the red, inflamed lesions characteristic of mycosis fungoides, as well as leukemic disease.

RATIONALE FOR PROPOSED CHANGE

Sentence 1: I added the different terms that are used to refer to this syndrome when it is developed in the context of mycosis fungoides in order to clarify for the reader that these different terms that may be used clinically are all referring to the same thing. This information is currently absent from the article and could be useful to readers.

Sentence 2: This addition will help contextualize Sézary syndrome in mycosis fungoides staging. While Sézary syndrome is mentioned in the epidemiology section of the article, the pathophysiological link between mycosis fungoides and the syndrome is not clear. Plus, since the leukemic form of the disease is only mentioned in this section in the context of the discussion of the age of onset of the disease, the link with mycosis fungoides staging is not evident to the reader, and is not placed in a section that the reader will intuitively look for it. Adding this information to staging, alongside the additions that my group members are adding about the other stages, will help explain the progression of the disease to the reader.

NOTE: I chose not to go into great detail about the pathophysiology of Sézary syndrome as there is already a page for this syndrome on Wikipedia. Instead, I will be linking the term to the existing page. I will also be linking the term “leukemic disease” to the Wikipedia page that already exists on the topic.

For both changes, I used a 2019 review on mycosis fungoides and Sézary Syndrome (referenced above). This article elaborates on the links and the distinctions (pathophysiological and clinical) between mycosis fungoides and Sézary Syndrome which is something that is currently missing from the article. Filling this gap is the main goal of these additions to the article.

There is a little ambiguity surrounding the classification of Sézary syndrome (SS) by different organizations. According to the resource that I am using (referenced above), according to WHO/EORTC and the ISCL, SS is a clinical syndrome that presents with erythrodermic skin and leukemic disease, as opposed to patients that present with classic mycosis fungoides (MF) lesions and then later meet the staging criteria (i.e. leukemic disease) for SS. These organizations have specific terms for SS that starts off as mycosis fungoides. The NCCN, on the other hand, is said to consider any patient who meets the criteria for a high blood burden of disease as having SS.

Because this article’s topic is MF, I chose to share the terminology used to refer specifically to the disease that progresses from MF, as well as the criteria for this particular progression of the disease (from the WHO). If this article’s topic were SS and I had to write in more detail about the criteria and classification, I would explore the topic further and likely bring up the differences in criteria from different organizations.

CRITIQUE OF SOURCE

Generally, this article is very thorough, up to date, and pertinent to the modifications I am making. The main reservation that I have about it is the fact that it is published in a small journal that I have never heard of. However, while it is small, this journal is peer-reviewed and MEDLINE-indexed. After searching for some background information on the authors of this article, I have found that both authors on this paper have been published several times in the area of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas and are faculty members of a prestigious and highly regarded academic institution (Harvard Medical School). No conflicts of interest, sources of bias or concerns with this publication have been identified.

In terms of the information that I am choosing to share, the authors were very transparent about the fact that the classification of Sézary Syndrome (SS) can change depending on the development of the disease and the organization from which the classification criteria is sourced. Neither author seems to have a direct affiliation with any of the organizations in question, enabling me to rule out any bias in the classifications shared in the article. Based on their breakdown of the different classifications that exist, I chose to use and share the one most pertinent to the development of the SS that involves the disease that is the topic of the article that I am modifying, mycosis fungoides.

My section posted to the group’s post to Talk Page:




 * If mycosis fungoides develops to meet the criteria for Sézary syndrome, it is referred to as leukemic mycosis fungoides, Sézary syndrome preceded by mycosis fungoides, or secondary mycosis fungoides. People with this stage of the condition usually present with the red, inflamed lesions characteristic of mycosis fungoides, as well as leukemic disease.

Adding this information will help explain the progression of the disease to the reader. Different terms used to refer to this syndrome when it is developed in the context of mycosis fungoides were added in order to clarify that these different clinical terms are all referring to the same thing. I welcome any feedback you may have! Thank you for the time and effort you put into improving Wikipedia. Mitochondriac22 (talk) 04:24, 4 December 2020 (UTC)

What to post on the Wikipedia article talk page?

 * This will also be covered on Nov 23rd in class. Your group should use the below template to share an outline of your proposed improvements (including your new wording and citations). Article talk pages are not places to share your assignment answers. The Wikipedia community will be more interested in viewing your exact article improvement suggestions including where you plan to improve the article (which section), what wording you suggest, and the exact citation (Note: all citations must meet WP:MEDRS)
 * You will not be able to paste citations directly from your sandbox to talk pages (unless you are interested in editing/learning Wiki-code in the "source editing" mode). We suggest re-adding your citations on the talk page manually (using the cite button and populating the citation by pasting in the DOI, website, or PMID). You will have to repeat this process yet again when you edit the actual article live.
 * Talk Page Template: CARL Medical Editing Initiative/Fall 2020/Talk Page Template