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Skin Malignancies (skin + malignancy)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Current Progress of Immunostains in Mohs Micrographic Surgery: A Review

DERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 12 2008
MAYA K. THOSANI MD
Mohs micrographic surgery is often considered the treatment of choice for a variety of skin malignancies. In recent years, the application of immunostaining techniques has facilitated the successful removal of a number of common and less common cutaneous malignancies, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, microcystic adnexal carcinoma, sebaceous carcinoma, atypical fibroxanthoma, extramammary Paget's disease, and even sarcomas. Immunostains highlight the tumor cells and allow the Mohs surgeons to pinpoint and eliminate the residual tumor at the surgical margin. It is especially helpful when a tumor presents with subtle or nonspecific histologic features or when a tumor is masked in a pocket of dense inflammation. However, the cost, the labor, and the time consumption are of concern to many of our peers, as are the diversity of antigens, which may overwhelm some. This article serves as a review of the literature on current uses of immunostaining in Mohs micrographic surgery and as a summary of their realistic applications in the dermatologic surgeon's practice. We conclude that immunohistochemical technique has played an important role in Mohs surgery advancement. With greater use and more cost-effective staining methods, we believe that the use of immunostains in a Mohs practice will become routine. [source]

Expression of minichromosome maintenance proteins in Merkel cell carcinoma

JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 10 2009
T Gambichler
Abstract Objective, Minichromosome maintenance (MCM) nuclear proteins have barely been employed in the diagnosis of skin malignancies. We aimed to assess whether MCM immunohistochemistry can be utilized to examine tumour proliferation in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Methods, In this pilot study, we studied skin specimens of eight patients with MCC. As a control, eight patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM) were included. Immunohistochemistry was performed for MCM4, MCM6, MCM7, Ki-67, p53, and p21. Results, Protein expression of MCM4 (66.0 ± 26.5% vs. 33.9 ± 22.4%; P = 0.017), MCM6 (70.9 ± 11.9 vs. 31.7 ± 22.7; P = 0.0031), and MCM7 (76.5 ± 16.4% vs. 34.9 ± 25.5%; P = 0.0013) was significantly increased in tumour cells of MCC when compared to tumour cells of MM. Ki-67 immunoreactivity was also significantly higher in MCC than in MM (28.7 ± 7.9 vs. 11.0 ± 9.2; P = 0.0012). Immunolabelling of p53 (68.6 ± 26.2 vs. 58.4 ± 28.8; P = 0.46) and p21 (40.1 ± 38.8 vs. 25.8 ± 16.1; P = 0.35) was relatively high but not significantly increased in MCC when compared to MM. Conclusion, Our preliminary data indicate that MCM immunohistochemistry may be a useful tool for the determination of tumour cell proliferation in MCC. [source]

Skin cancer in liver transplant recipients

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2000
Clark C. Otley
Skin cancer is the most common malignancy arising in the posttransplantation setting. Multiple factors contribute to the high risk for cutaneous carcinoma in immunosuppressed organ-transplant recipients. We review the phenomenon of skin cancer in solid-organ transplant recipients and further delineate the problem in the context of liver transplantation. Skin cancer is a significant medical and surgical problem for organ-transplant recipients. With prolonged allograft function and patient survival, the majority of solid-organ transplant recipients will eventually develop skin cancer. Although squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cutaneous malignancy in this population, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and Kaposi's sarcoma, as well as uncommon skin malignancies, may occur. Highly susceptible patients may develop hundreds of squamous cell carcinomas, which may be life threatening. Management strategies focus on regular full-skin and nodal examination, aggressive treatment of established malignancies, and prophylactic measures to reduce the risk for additional photodamage and malignant transformation. Skin cancer is a substantial cause of morbidity and even mortality among solid-organ transplant recipients. As a byproduct of immunosuppression, liver transplant recipients experience a high incidence of skin cancer and should be educated and managed accordingly. [source]

Sentinel lymphonodectomy in nonmelanoma skin malignancies

BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2003
C. Michl
Summary Background Whereas the value of sentinel lymphonodectomy (SLNE) in malignant melanoma is established, experience with SLNE in nonmelanoma skin cancers is limited. Objectives The feasibility of SLNE in nonmelanoma skin tumours is evaluated. Methods Thirty-seven patients with high-risk nonmelanoma skin tumours underwent SLNE: 11 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), seven Merkel cell carcinomas (MCCs), five cutaneous lymphomas, eight adnexal carcinomas and six other skin cancers, all clinical stage N0. Results In nine patients (four MCCs, two SCCs, three lymphomas) the sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) showed histological evidence of microinvolvement. In five of these nine patients, radical lymph node dissection (RLND) was performed, revealing further micrometastases in three patients (two SCCs, one MCC). No patient with negative SLN showed tumour dissemination during the follow-up over a mean of 2·5 years (range 2 months to 4·5 years, median 2·4 years). Conclusions Our data provide evidence that SLNE is a minimally invasive and highly sensitive staging tool in selected patients with high-risk nonmelanoma skin cancers. [source]

Familial association of specific histologic types of ovarian malignancy with other malignancies,

CANCER, Issue 7 2004
Justo Lorenzo Bermejo Ph.D.
Abstract BACKGROUND Population-based data on the familial association of specific histologic types of ovarian malignancy with other malignancies are limited. Such data may help to elucidate etiologic differences among histologic types of ovarian malignancy. METHODS The nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database, which includes 10.3 million individuals and 20,974 ovarian carcinomas, was used to calculate standardized incidence ratios and 95% confidence intervals for age- and histology-specific ovarian malignancies in women whose parents or siblings were affected with malignancies at the most common disease sites. RESULTS Ovarian malignancy was found to be associated with ovarian, laryngeal, breast, endometrial, liver, and colon carcinoma, as well as myeloma; epithelial ovarian malignancy was found to be associated with ovarian, endometrial, and skin malignancies and with melanoma and myeloma; papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma was found to be associated with ovarian and skin malignancies and with myeloma; and endometrioid carcinoma was found to be associated with endometrial, ovarian, and prostate malignancies and with melanoma. For younger women (ages 40,45 years) whose mothers were affected with endometrial malignancies, the risk of developing endometrioid carcinoma was slightly greater than the risk of developing papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS Specific types of ovarian malignancy may be associated with specific familial disease sites, with such associations depending on age at diagnosis; the strength of the observed associations varied according to histology. Associations were found between endometrioid carcinoma and endometrial malignancy and between serous carcinoma and Hodgkin disease. Cancer 2004;100:1507,14. © 2004 American Cancer Society. [source]

Predictors of skin self-examination performance

CANCER, Issue 1 2002
June K. Robinson M.D.
Abstract BACKGROUND Skin self-examination (SSE) may reduce the death rate from melanoma by as much as 63%. Enhancing SSE performance may reduce mortality and morbidity. This study determined predictors of SSE performance in a population of individuals who were at risk of developing melanoma or nonmelanoma skin carcinoma (NMSC). METHODS Patients (n = 200) were asked about their knowledge of the warning signs, their sense of the importance of SSE to them, their attitude about and confidence in their ability to perform SSE, and their impression of their partner's comfort and ability with assisting in the skin examination. The interval since last skin examination, the number of physician visits (nondermatologist and dermatologist), the number and type of skin malignancies, the time since initial diagnosis, the number of skin biopsies, and health insurance status were determined from the medical records for the prior 3 years. RESULTS Seventy percent of participants performed SSE. The three strongest predictors of SSE performance were attitude, having dermatology visits with skin biopsies and at least one skin carcinoma in the previous 3 years, and confidence in performance (P = 0.0001). Other predictors of SSE performance were perceived risk (P = 0.0001), knowledge (P = 0.004), and younger age (P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS Annual skin examination by physicians and monthly SSE by patients reinforce one another in promoting early detection. In this high-risk population, the dermatologist reinforced SSE performance by biopsy of skin lesions that were skin malignancies. People have intimate knowledge of their own skin and bear the consequences for failure to detect and treat skin carcinoma early; thus, monthly SSE becomes relevant as a personal health-promotion habit. Cancer 2002;95:135,46. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10637 [source]