Simultaneous melanomas in the setting of multiple primary melanomas.

It is estimated that about 1-13% of melanoma patients will develop multiple primary melanomas. Although the occurrence of subsequent tumors has been described during the last few years, the development of simultaneous melanomas has not yet been extensively studied. We reviewed our registries to identify patients with multiple primary melanomas.

High-frequency p16(INK) (4A) promoter methylation is associated with histone methyltransferase SETDB1 expression in sporadic cutaneous melanoma.

Epigenetic mechanisms participate in melanoma development and progression. The effect of histone modifications and their catalysing enzymes over euchromatic promoter DNA methylation in melanoma remains unclear. This study investigated the potential association of p16(INK) (4A) promoter methylation with histone methyltransferase SETDB1 expression in Greek patients with sporadic melanoma and their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics.

Cutaneous metastasis of colon adenocarcinoma: case report and review of the literature.

Skin metastases from colorectal carcinoma are rare and signal advanced disease. We present a case of an 80-year-old male with a large skin metastatic focus in the lower abdomen, a year after resection of a colonic adenocarcinoma. The patient had already finished receiving his first cycle of chemotherapy shortly before the discovery of the abdominal nodules and at the same period a chest X-ray, revealed shadows at the base of the right lung.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia: to treat or not to treat?

Background: published studies have evaluated a variety of therapeutic agents in frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA); however, data on whether fibrosis is already established when the patients initially present are scarce.

Objective: to identify the prevalence of active disease in patients initially diagnosed with FFA and to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic agents suggested in the medical literature.

Patients/methods: eighteen postmenopausal women with FFA presented at the outpatient clinic of our hospital from June 2003 to August 2007.

Acanthosis nigricans associated with primary hypogonadism: successful treatment with topical calcipotriol.

Acanthosis nigricans is a mucocutaneous dermatosis characterized by hyperpigmentation and a velvety papillomatous hyperkeratosis. It is frequently associated with systemic diseases including malignancy and endocrinal disorders. We report the beneficial effect of topical calcipotriol ointment 50 mcg/g twice a day in acanthosis nigricans associated with primary hypogonadism.

Treatment of pityriasis rubra pilaris with pimecrolimus cream 1%.

Pityriasis rubra pillaris is an uncommon idiopathic dermatosis considered both a keratinization and an inflammatory disorder. Treatment is largely based on the information presented in case reports. We report the case of a young man with pityriasis rubra pillaris limited to the scalp and face, which cleared completely after application of pimecrolimus 1% cream for 2 weeks.

Melanocortin receptor-1 gene polymorphisms and the risk of cutaneous melanoma in a low-risk southern European population.

Individuals with melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene variants have been shown to carry an increased risk for the development of melanoma. In this study, we investigated the relationship of MC1R gene variants and the risk of melanoma in 123 melanoma patients and 155 control subjects from Greece. The entire MC1R gene was sequenced for polymorphisms and the results were correlated with host factors and pigmentary characteristics.