The association between cigarette smoking, cancer screening, and cancer stage: a prospective study of the women's health initiative observational cohort.

Objective: To assess the dose-dependent relationship between smoking history and cancer screening rates or staging of cancer diagnoses.

Design: Prospective, population-based cohort study.

Setting: Questionnaire responses from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study.

Promoting sunscreen use and sun-protective practices in NCAA athletes: Impact of SUNSPORT educational intervention for student-athletes, athletic trainers, and coaches.

Background: Student-athletes (SAs) have an increased skin cancer risk on account of significant ultraviolet exposure; however, their sun-protective practices are suboptimal. A novel program, Stanford University Network for Sun Protection, Outreach, Research, and Teamwork (SUNSPORT), was designed to target SAs, coaches, and athletic trainers (ATs).

Objective: To measure the impact of educational intervention on sun protection beliefs and practices of SAs.

Limited Role of Random Skin Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Intravascular Lymphoma in Adult Patients with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.

Background/aims: This study examined the role of random normal skin biopsy in the diagnosis of intravascular lymphoma (IVL) in adult Western patients with clinically diagnosed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).

Methods: In a retrospective chart review study, we analyzed a total of 59 skin biopsies that were performed to diagnose IVL in 21 adult patients with HLH seen at Stanford Hospital between 2004 and 2016.

Results: Out of the 59 skin biopsies, 42 were taken from clinically normal-appearing skin and 17 from clinically abnormal-appearing skin.

Risk Factors for Basal Cell Carcinoma Among Patients With Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome: Development of a Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome Patient Registry.

Importance: Patients with basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS) have a greater risk of developing numerous basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). Risk factors influencing the wide variation in tumor burden are poorly understood.

Objective: To describe the burden of BCCs in patients with BCNS in the United States and identify potential risk factors for BCCs.

Inhibition of the hedgehog pathway in patients with basal-cell nevus syndrome: final results from the multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial.

Background: Aberrant hedgehog signalling underlies the development of basal-cell carcinomas. We previously reported the interim analysis of a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial in patients with the basal-cell nevus (Gorlin) syndrome indicating that the smoothened inhibitor vismodegib reduces basal-cell carcinoma tumour burden and prevents new basal-cell carcinoma growth in patients with basal-cell nevus syndrome. We report the final results of this 36 month trial.

Impact of residential UV exposure in childhood versus adulthood on skin cancer risk in Caucasian, postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative.

Background: Sun exposure is a major risk factor for skin cancer; however, the relative contribution of ultraviolet (UV) exposure during childhood versus adulthood on skin cancer risk remains unclear.

Objective: Our goal was to determine the impact of residential UV, measured by AVerage daily total GLObal solar radiation (AVGLO), exposure during childhood (birth, 15 years) versus adulthood (35, 50 years, and present) on incident non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and malignant melanoma (MM) in postmenopausal women.

Methods: Women were followed with yearly surveys throughout the duration of their participation in the Women's Health Initiative Observational study, a multicenter study from 1993 to 2005.

Effects of Combined Treatment With Arsenic Trioxide and Itraconazole in Patients With Refractory Metastatic Basal Cell Carcinoma.

Importance: Tumor resistance is an emerging problem for Smoothened (SMO) inhibitor-treated metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Arsenic trioxide and itraconazole antagonize the hedgehog (HH) pathway at sites distinct from those treated by SMO inhibitors.

Objective: To determine whether administration of intravenous arsenic trioxide and oral itraconazole in patients with metastatic BCC is associated with a reduction in GLI1 messenger RNA expression in tumor and/or normal skin biopsy samples.

Smoothened variants explain the majority of drug resistance in basal cell carcinoma.

Advanced basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) frequently acquire resistance to Smoothened (SMO) inhibitors through unknown mechanisms. Here we identify SMO mutations in 50% (22 of 44) of resistant BCCs and show that these mutations maintain Hedgehog signaling in the presence of SMO inhibitors. Alterations include four ligand binding pocket mutations defining sites of inhibitor binding and four variants conferring constitutive activity and inhibitor resistance, illuminating pivotal residues that ensure receptor autoinhibition.

Non-melanoma skin cancer and NSAID use in women with a history of skin cancer in the Women's Health Initiative.

Objective: Evidence for the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) risk is inconsistent. We prospectively examined whether regular, inconsistent, or no/low-use of NSAIDs is associated with lower NMSC risk among 54,728 postmenopausal Caucasian women in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study enrolled between 1993 and 1998.

Methods: Logistic regression models were used to assess odds of NMSC after adjusting for skin type, sun exposure history and indication for NSAID use.

An investigator-initiated open-label clinical trial of vismodegib as a neoadjuvant to surgery for high-risk basal cell carcinoma.

Background: Vismodegib is an oral hedgehog-pathway inhibitor approved for advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Although most BCCs are amenable to surgery, excision of large tumors in aesthetically sensitive sites may compromise function or cosmesis.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the reduction in BCC surgical defect area after 3 to 6 months of neoadjuvant vismodegib.

A review of the solitary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) account for almost 65-92% of all cutaneous lymphomas, many of which usually present with multiple lesions. However, a number of well-recognized and rare types of CTCL, including mycosis fungoides, can present in isolated fashion. These solitary lesions often run a relatively indolent clinical course but often pose diagnostic difficulties.

The use of vismodegib to shrink keratocystic odontogenic tumors in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome.

Importance: Keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOTs) of the jaw affect more than 65% of patients with basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS). Surgery frequently causes facial disfigurement and is not always curative. Most BCNS-related and some sporadic KCOTs have malignant activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway.

Evaluation of follicular T-helper cells in primary cutaneous CD4+ small/medium pleomorphic T-cell lymphoma and dermatitis.

Background: CD4+ small/medium-sized pleomorphic T-cell lymphoma (SMPTCL) is a controversial primary cutaneous lymphoma, in which the candidate neoplastic cells express a follicular T-helper phenotype. We describe 16 cases of SMPTCL and compare expression of PD-1, CXCL-13 and ICOS in these tumors with 40 dermatitis cases.

Methods: Histopathologic examination and immunocytochemistry were performed for 16 tumors and 40 assorted dermatitis cases.

Cutaneous human papillomavirus infection and Basal cell carcinoma of the skin.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is ubiquitous in skin and has been associated with nonmelanoma skin cancer. Iannacone et al. investigate the role of HPV in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) by assessing the presence of HPV antibodies, HPV DNA in tumors, and the relationship between these two markers and BCC.

Solitary mycosis fungoides: a distinct clinicopathologic entity with a good prognosis: a series of 15 cases and literature review.

Background: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), accounting for almost 50% of all primary cutaneous lymphomas. The occurrence of solitary lesions, which are clinically and histopathologically indistinguishable from classic MF has been described.

Objective: We describe 15 cases of solitary MF and discuss the relationship to classic MF, "reactive" processes and to other, rarer forms of CTCL that may present with solitary lesions.

The relationship between gene-specific DNA methylation in leukocytes and normal colorectal mucosa in subjects with and without colorectal tumors.

CpG island methylation in the promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes has been shown to occur in normal colonic tissue and can distinguish between subjects with and without colorectal neoplasms. It is unclear whether this relationship exists in other tissues such as blood. We report the relationship between estrogen receptor gene (estrogen receptor alpha) methylation in leukocyte and normal colonic tissue DNA in subjects with and without colorectal neoplasia.