[Low-dose prophylactic oral isotretinoin treatment for 18 years in a patient with epidermodysplasia verruciformis and numerous squamous cell carcinomas].

Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (also known as Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis, in which the skin is unusually sensitive to human papilloma viruses (HPV). It is associated with a high risk of developing non-melanocytic skin tumors. Treatment with keratolytic retinoids is currently considered to be the most effective therapy.

[Initially undetected de novo psoriasis triggered by nivolumab for metastatic base of the tongue carcinoma].

Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the PD-1 receptor on T cells and inhibits the interaction with the PD-L1 and PD-L2 ligands on cancer cells. Thus, nivolumab has immunostimulatory properties. The known side effects of this therapy include fatigue, skin rash, dysfunction of the thyroid gland and colitis, which are explained by the immunoregulatory mechanisms of the drug.

[Partial response of solar urticaria to omalizumab therapy].

The treatment of solar urticaria is regarded as difficult. In some cases good responses to the anti-IgE antibody omalizumab (Xolair®), approved for treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria, have been reported. We report on a 50-year-old Caucasian woman who for the last 5 years has developed localized itching and stinging erythemas following exposure to sunlight accompanied sometimes by anaphylactic reactions.

[Phlebology in German departments of dermatology. An analysis on behalf of the German Society of Phlebology].

Background: Phlebologic diseases have become extremely common and have major socio-economic impact. However, the percentage of dermatologists working in phlebology appears to be decreasing according to the data of the German Society of Phlebology (DGP).

Methods: To investigate the reasons for this development, we--on behalf of the DGP--sent a questionnaire to 120 German Departments of Dermatology in autumn 2012.