With the ongoing progress of basic research along with the introduction of new pharmaceutical options spanning almost all therapeutic areas, the need for biomarkers that will be implemented into the personalized medical approach is higher than ever. Their use can be incorporated into clinical practice and can be applied to the classification of disorders and the evaluation of disease severity but also to the monitoring of the progress of therapeutic/pharmaceutical interventions. This systematic review collects the findings of hematologic biomarkers in various cutaneous malignancies, excluding malignant melanoma, to support their potential use in the prognosis but also in the assessment of therapeutic strategies for the specific category of skin disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBleomycin, an antineoplastic antibiotic that inhibits DNA synthesis, is used to treat various malignant tumors such as Hodgkin's lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and germ cell tumors. Flagellate erythema is a rare rash with a linear pattern that has been observed in association with bleomycin treatment. Herein, we present a 43-year-old patient with metastatic testicular cell neoplasms who developed a whiplash rash during treatment with a chemotherapy regimen that included bleomycin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Teledermatology is employed in the diagnosis and follow-up of skin cancer and its use was intensified during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, demographic changes result in an overall increase in non-melanoma skin cancer and skin precancerous lesions. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of teledermatology in comparison to conventional face-to-face dermatology for such lesions and determine the advantages and limitations of this workflow for patients and physicians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAK is a common precancerous skin condition that requires effective detection and treatment monitoring. To improve the monitoring of the AK burden in clinical settings with enhanced automation and precision, the present study evaluates the application of semantic segmentation based on the U-Net architecture (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEfficient management of basal cell carcinomas (BCC) requires reliable assessments of both tumors and post-treatment scars. We aimed to estimate image similarity metrics that account for BCC's perceptual color and texture deviation from perilesional skin. In total, 176 clinical photographs of BCC were assessed by six physicians using a visual deviation scale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this work was to enhance the diagnostic accuracy of nail Raman spectroscopy for fungal nail infections, specifically onychomycosis caused by Trichophyton rubrum. The study assessed the different ethyl alcohol retention rates between control and infected nails after soaking nail clippings in ethanolic solutions and drying. Results revealed that ethyl alcohol completely evaporated from infected nail samples, while significant amounts were still present in control samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol
July 2023
Background: The therapeutic interventions for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) impact facial cosmesis.
Objectives: Our aim was to assess the aesthetic burden of facial BCC treatment by evaluating the extent of the tumour site visually based on clinical images before and after immunocryosurgery; a minimally invasive combination treatment of topical imiquimod and cryosurgery.
Materials & Methods: A three-item (texture, height, colour) burn scar scale was independently applied by four physicians (two dermatologists and two plastic surgeons) on archival semi-standardized clinical images of facial BCC before and one year after immunocryosurgery.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the epicenter of healthcare attention globally for the past two years, and large-scale adaptations in healthcare provision have been required. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns on cutaneous melanoma diagnosis and tumor burdens in Europe. A relevant literature search in electronic databases was conducted from inception to September 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this retrospective, chart review study, we evaluated the feasibility of immunocryosurgery in facial, non-superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCC) that had relapsed after standard surgery. Inclusion criteria were (a) 'biopsy confirmed relapse of facial BCC', (b) known 'calendar year of surgical excision(s)', and (c) 'relapse within 10 years after the last surgical excision'. Tumors treated from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020 with a standard 5-week immunocryosurgery cycle (daily imiquimod application for 5 weeks and a cryosurgery session at day 14) were included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonomodal systemic glucocorticoids remain the mainstay of treatment for bullous pemphigoid (BP). In this retrospective, single-arm study, we evaluated the feasibility (efficacy and tolerability) of the combination of methylprednisolone and low-dose (up to 12.5 mg/week) methotrexate (MP + MTX) for BP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKeratinocyte skin carcinomas (squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma [BCC], Bowen disease [BD]) inflict significant morbidity and constitute a treatment challenge in renal transplant recipients (RTR). Immunocryosurgery has shown efficacy >95% in the treatment of BCC and BD in immunocompetent patients. The present study evaluated the safety, feasibility and efficacy, of immunocryosurgery in the treatment of BCC and BD in a series of RTR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalignant melanomas resembling seborrheic keratosis (SK-like MMs) are atypical, challenging to diagnose melanoma cases that carry the risk of delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment. On the other hand, SK may mimic melanoma, producing a 'false positive' with unnecessary lesion excisions. The present study proposes a computer-based approach using dermoscopy images for the characterization of SΚ-like MMs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunocryosurgery is a minimally invasive combinational therapeutic procedure that has been designed, developed, and evaluated in the Dermatology Department of the University of Ioannina from 2004. In a fixed time protocol, this approach combines immune stimulatory therapy with imiquimod and cryosurgery, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Analysis of cases with spirochetal uveitis related to spirochetes in a tertiary referral academic center.
Methods: Retrospective study of patients diagnosed with uveitis attributed to Treponema pallidum, Leptospira spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi from June 1991 until December 2019.
Fish bone and/or spine puncture injuries can result in infection of the upper extremities with aquatic bacterial pathogens. Additionally, in such injuries, the inoculation of foreign organic material is frequent and may further complicate the clinical presentation and course of the resulting infection. We describe the case of a 45-year-old female patient with a minimal fish rostrum puncture trauma acquired during preparation of fresh fish meal, which resulted in a galloping hand cellulitis.
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