Assessment of reflectance confocal microscopy for monitoring treatment of actinic keratosis and field cancerization with daylight photodynamic therapy.

Actinic keratosis (AK) is the most common pre-malignant cutaneous lesion of the skin, often associated with field cancerization. Daylight photodynamic therapy (DL-PDT) is used as treatment, showing good histological results. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) may be useful as a non-invasive, real-time approach to monitor treatment, however, there is a lack of data on the correlation between RCM and histopathological findings in AK patients treated with DL-PDT.

Analysis of the dermoscopic features of excised melanomas and their relation with tumor thickness in a tertiary hospital in Brazil.

Background: Dermoscopy is a non-invasive, cost-effective tool useful in the assessment of pigmented lesions. The aim of this study was to analyze the dermoscopic features in excised melanomas in a tertiary hospital in Brazil and the influence of Breslow thickness on the dermoscopic features observed.

Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study in which dermoscopic images of 43 melanomas were evaluated.

Antitumor effect of cell therapy with mesenchymal stem cells on murine melanoma B16-F10.

In this study, the antitumor and immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) obtained from bone marrow in the treatment of dorsal melanoma B16-F10. The MSC cells were obtained from the bone marrow of isogenic C57BL/6J mice, characterized and inoculated by two routes, intratumor (it) and intravenous (iv). The hematological profile, expression markers and receptors, phases of the cell cycle and mitochondrial electrical potential were evaluated by flow cytometry.

The first observation of the association of Merkel cell polyomavirus and Merkel cell carcinoma in Brazil.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but aggressive primary cutaneous carcinoma with high mortality rates. The present study intends to delineate the epidemiological profile of patients with MCC seen at the Clinics Hospital of the Medical School at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and its association with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV).

Methods: This is a retrospective study.

Use of Smartphones in Telemedicine: Comparative Study Between Standard and Teledermatological Evaluation of High-Complex Care Hospital Inpatients.

Background: It is estimated that there are around 7 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide. Considering the availability and convenience, it appears to be a suitable device for store-and-forward (SF) consultations.

Introduction: Although teledermatology has been suggested as an effective way of reducing costs and providing otherwise inaccessible expert evaluation, most studies have relied on high cost and high technological means.

Deleterious Effect of Radiation Therapy on Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis Patients.

Background: Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is a rare genodermatosis caused by specific human papillomavirus (HPV) types associated with the development of multiple squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). The treatment for this skin tumour may be difficult. Among the therapy options, radiotherapy (RT) should be avoided due to its deleterious effects on HPV-induced carcinogenesis.

Melanoma in children, adolescents, and young adults: a clinical pathological study in a Brazilian population.

Malignant melanoma in children, adolescents, and young adults is unusual, especially before puberty. In children (age, 0-14 years), most primary lesions are thick and atypical (amelanotic, simulating pyogenic granuloma). In the population of adolescents and young adults (age, 15-39 years), melanoma is the third most common cancer, only behind lymphoma and breast cancer.

Inpatient dermatology: profile of patients and characteristics of admissions to a tertiary dermatology inpatient unit in São Paulo, Brazil.

Background: Dermatology is primarily an outpatient clinical and surgical specialty, but substantial numbers of patients are admitted to hospital for inpatient treatment in dermatology wards.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients admitted to dermatology beds between September 1, 2002, and September 30, 2010. Patient data were analyzed for age, gender, ethnicity, length of stay (LoS), dermatologic disease, comorbidities, hospital-acquired infection (HAI), transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU), and mortality.

PTCH1 gene mutations in exon 17 and loss of heterozygosity on D9S180 microsatellite in sporadic and inherited human basal cell carcinomas.

Background: Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are the most frequent human cancer that results from malignant transformation of basal cells in the epidermis. Gorlin syndrome is a rare inherited autosomal dominant disease that predisposes with multiple BCCs and other birth defects. Both sporadic and inherited BCCs are associated with mutations in the tumor suppressor gene PTCH1, but there is still uncertainty on the role of its homolog PTCH2.

DNA damage and repair in leukocytes of melanoma patients exposed in vitro to cisplatin.

Resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs can be an obstacle to a successful treatment of cancer patients in part associated with individual response and differences in the DNA repair system. The Comet assay is an informative test to investigate DNA damage and repair in cells in response to a variety of DNA-damaging agents, including chemotherapeutic drugs. The aim of this study was to assess leukocytes damage after in-vitro cisplatin treatment and DNA repair action using the Comet assay in 20 patients with melanoma and 20 cancer-free individuals.

Oral mucosal melanoma of the mandibular gingiva: a case report.

Oral mucosal melanoma is rare and is reported to be more aggressive than cutaneous melanoma. The incidence of oral mucosal melanoma peaks at 41 to 60 years of age and the male to female ratio is 2 to 1. Preferred sites in the oral mucosa include the hard palate and maxillary alveolar crests.

[Photodynamic therapy in dermatology: basic principles].

Photodynamic therapy involves the administration of a photosensitizing drug and its subsequent activation by light at wavelengths matching the absorption spectrum of the photosensitizer. Currently, topical photodynamic therapy has received approval for the treatment of cutaneous oncologic conditions such as actinic keratoses, Bowen's disease and superficial basal cell carcinoma in many countries in the world. Multicenter randomized controlled studies have demonstrated high efficacy and superior cosmetic outcome over standard therapies.

Accuracy of store-and-forward diagnosis in leprosy.

Telemedicine might increase the speed of diagnosis for leprosy and reduce the development of disabilities. We compared the accuracy of diagnosis made by telemedicine with that made by in-person examination. The cases were patients with suspected leprosy at eight public health clinics in outlying areas of the city of São Paulo.

High numbers of human skin cancers express MMP2 and several integrin genes.

Background: Basal cell carcinomas (BCC), squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM) are solid skin cancers derived from different cell types, with different ability to metastasize. Several subtypes of integrins and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) have been related to malignization and metastasis processes. This work aimed at a quantitative evaluation of skin cancers expressing eight integrins and MMP2 genes.

Nucleolar organizer region staining patterns in paraffin-embedded tissue cells from human skin cancers.

Background: Increased number of nucleoli (nucleolar organizer regions, NORs) with abnormal shapes and sizes, including small dots, has been used as prognostic tools to evaluate tumor proliferation levels and troublesome borderline lesions. In this study, NOR patterns of skin cancers were performed in the search of a valuable prognostic method to complement other histological procedures.

Methods: Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue was obtained from basal and squamous cell carcinomas, cutaneous malignant melanoma, premalignant lesions, and Skmel-28 human melanoma cells.

Repetitive DNA alterations in human skin cancers.

Repetitive sequences constitute landmarks for genome regulation, evolution, and chromatin architecture. Patterns of specific and non-specific repetitive sequences change in many types and stages of tumor cells, characterized by band loss, gain, and (de) increased staining of pre-existing bands. In this work, repetitive DNA was studied in search of genome instability of skin cancers: basal and squamous cell carcinomas (BCC and SCC), malignant melanoma (MM), melanocytic nevus (MN), and actinic keratosis (AK) lesions.

Association of p53 arginine polymorphism with skin cancer.

Background: The presence of arginine at codon 72 in p53 protein is proposed to be a genetic risk factor in human papillomavirus (HPV)-related carcinogenesis.

Objective: To study the prevalence of p53 polymorphism at codon 72 in skin biopsies of epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) patients compared to DNA samples from healthy individuals.

Patients And Methods: DNA samples extracted from normal skin and tumor biopsies of 22 Brazilian patients with EV and blood samples from 27 healthy Brazilian individuals were studied for p53 codon 72 polymorphisms using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis.

HPV typing in Brazilian patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis: high prevalence of EV-HPV 25.

Background: Epidermodysplasia verruciformis is a rare genetic disorder characterized by development of lesions associated with HPV#5 or HPV#8 in early childhood; malignant transformation occurs in approximately half of individuals during adulthood.

Objective: Our goal was to study the presence and spectrum of EV-HPV types in Brazilian EV patients, a population that had never been studied in this regard.

Patients And Methods: Forty-one biopsies from different lesions (benign and skin tumors) and one biopsy from clinically normal skin from each of 20 Brazilian patients with EV were studied for HPV typing using nested PCR.