The diagnostic accuracy of Gram stain on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections of skin tissue in the diagnosis of bacterial skin infection.

Background And Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios of Gram stain on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (GS-FFPE) sections of skin in diagnosing bacterial skin infection.

Methods: We reviewed a retrospective series of skin specimens reported at our institution wherein histopathological assessment included Gram stain and fresh tissue was concurrently submitted for microscopy and culture. The clinicopathological correlation was the reference standard, whereby the presence of infection was deduced from the final diagnosis in each patient's case notes.

Altered endosomal-lysosomal biogenesis in melanoma.

Cutaneous melanoma is the deadliest form of skin neoplasm and its high mortality rates could be averted by early accurate detection. While the detection of melanoma is currently reliant upon melanin visualisation, research into melanosome biogenesis, as a key driver of pathogenesis, has not yielded technology that can reliably distinguish between atypical benign, amelanotic and melanotic lesions. The endosomal-lysosomal system has important regulatory roles in cancer cell biology, including a specific functional role in melanosome biogenesis.

BRAF mutation testing for patients diagnosed with stage III or stage IV melanoma: practical guidance for the Australian setting.

Targeted therapy (BRAF inhibitor plus MEK inhibitor) is now among the possible treatment options for patients with BRAF mutation-positive stage III or stage IV melanoma. This makes prompt BRAF mutation testing an important step in the management of patients diagnosed with stage III or IV melanoma; one that can help better ensure that the optimal choice of systemic treatment is initiated with minimal delay. This article offers guidance about when and how BRAF mutation testing should be conducted when patients are diagnosed with melanoma in Australia.

Desmoglein 2 promotes vasculogenic mimicry in melanoma and is associated with poor clinical outcome.

Tumors can develop a blood supply not only by promoting angiogenesis but also by forming vessel-like structures directly from tumor cells, known as vasculogenic mimicry (VM). Understanding mechanisms that regulate VM is important, as these might be exploitable to inhibit tumor progression. Here, we reveal the adhesion molecule desmoglein 2 (DSG2) as a novel mediator of VM in melanoma.

Radiation therapy-induced neuro-Sweet disease in a patient with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Neurological involvement is a rare extracutanenous manifestation of Sweet's syndrome. We present a novel case of radiation therapy-induced neuro-Sweet disease in a patient receiving treatment for an oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Post-transplant plasmablastic lymphoma of the skin.

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a recently described rare variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma characterised by its aggressive nature and plasmacytic differentiation. It most frequently arises in the oral cavity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. However extra-oral involvement is becoming increasingly recognised, particularly in HIV-negative patients.

Are cutaneous melanomas of specified thickness showing deeper levels of invasion at diagnosis?

Secular trends in Clark level were investigated by Breslow category for 8,432 invasive cutaneous melanomas diagnosed in South Australia in 1980-2000. More recently diagnosed lesions were found to have deeper levels. After adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site, histology, and thickness measured in half millimetres, the relative odds (95% confidence limits) of penetration to the reticular dermis or subcutaneous fat were 1.

A critical analysis of reasons for improved survival from invasive cutaneous melanoma.

Objective: To determine the extent to which increases in survival from melanoma are explained by changes in thickness, level, histological type, site of lesion, and sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: Analyses of changes in survival among 9519 South Australians with melanoma reported to the State's population-based cancer registry during the 1980-2000 diagnostic period, using proportional hazards regression to adjust for thickness, level and other characteristics.

Results: Lower survivals applied for thicker lesions, deeper Clark levels, lesions on the trunk and scalp/neck, and for older cases and males.