Subungual Melanoma of the Hand.

Background: The diagnosis of subungual melanoma (SUM) can be challenging and SUMs generally have a worse prognosis than melanomas arising elsewhere. Due to their rarity, the evidence to guide management is limited. This study sought to identify clinicopathological features predictive of outcome and to provide guidelines for management.

Margins of excision and prognostic factors for cutaneous eyelid melanomas.

Background: Guidelines for wide excision of cutaneous melanomas according to Breslow thickness are impractical when considering melanomas arising on eyelid skin. No consensus exists regarding appropriate excision margins for these tumours. This study sought to determine whether excision margins influenced locoregional recurrence, and to identify prognostic factors for survival in these patients.

Scar-improving efficacy of avotermin administered into the wound margins of skin incisions as evaluated by a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial.

Background: The authors report on a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II trial to investigate avotermin (transforming growth factor beta-3) for reducing scarring resulting from acute incised skin wounds.

Methods: Seventy-one healthy male subjects (18 to 45 years) received avotermin at 50 or 200 ng/100 μl/linear centimeter of wound margin. Subjects received three standardized 1-cm incisional wounds on the inner aspect of each upper arm.

Maturation of the human scar: an observational study.

Background: The natural history of scar maturation in humans has never been formally described from either a clinical or a histologic standpoint.

Methods: The maturation of incisional scars was observed in 58 healthy male volunteers who each had 2 x 1-cm incisional wounds created on the inner aspect of both upper arms. The resulting scars were photographed digitally at monthly intervals for 12 months and excised for histologic analysis at specific time points.

Scar redness in humans: how long does it persist after incisional and excisional wounding?

Background: The natural history of scar redness in humans has never been formally described, and the point at which normal scar redness fades is unknown.

Methods: As part of a randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial investigating the effects of various doses of transforming growth factor-beta3 on scar quality, the authors observed the process of scar redness and maturation in non-drug-treated incisional and excisional wounds made on the upper inner arms of 103 volunteers. Scar photographic images were assessed by a review panel to ascertain the month during which redness faded for a particular scar.

Visual analogue scale scoring and ranking: a suitable and sensitive method for assessing scar quality?

Background: The field of scar assessment lacks a standard methodology. Previous methods have focused on a wide range of scar types, resulting in poorer sensitivity and diminishing their discriminatory effectiveness.

Methods: As part of a clinical trial investigating the scar-improving efficacy of transforming growth factor-beta3, the authors investigated the use of a visual analogue scale and scar ranking as scar assessment tools.