Clinicopathological demographics of malignant melanomas of the vulva and vagina in Japan.

Malignant vulvar melanoma (VuM) and vaginal melanoma (VaM) represent a unique subgroup of rare malignant melanomas with critical biological properties that differ from other cancers. In Japan, adequate surveys have yet to be conducted. This study aimed to elucidate the clinicopathological demographics and outcomes of VuM and VaM in Japan.

Concordance in judgment of clinical borders of basal cell carcinomas in Japanese patients: A preliminary study of JCOG2005 (J-BASE-MARGIN).

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, and surgical excision with clear margins is the standard of care. Surgical margins are determined based on risk factors (high or low risk) for recurrence according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Japanese basal cell carcinoma guidelines. The clarity of the clinical tumor border (well-defined or poorly defined) is considered a risk factor, and significant discrepancies in the judgment of clinical tumor borders among dermato-oncologists may occur.

Significance of 5--Cysteinyldopa as a Marker for Melanoma.

Melanoma is one of the most lethal and malignant cancers and its incidence is increasing worldwide, and Japan is not an exception. Although there are numerous therapeutic options for melanoma, the prognosis is still poor once it has metastasized. The main concern after removal of a primary melanoma is whether it has metastasized, and early detection of metastatic melanoma would be effective in improving the prognosis of patients.

Classification of 3097 patients from the Japanese melanoma study database using the American joint committee on cancer eighth edition cancer staging system.

Background: The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8 Edition Cancer Staging System was implemented in 2018; however, it has not been validated in an Asian melanoma population.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to validate the new system using a cohort of Japanese melanoma patients.

Methods: The AJCC 7 and 8 Editions were used for TNM classification of patients in a database established by the Japanese Melanoma Study Group.

Clinical and histopathological characteristics and survival analysis of 4594 Japanese patients with melanoma.

Background: The incidence of melanoma among those of an Asian ethnicity is lower than in Caucasians; few large-scale Asian studies that include follow-up data have been reported.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics of Japanese patients with melanoma and to evaluate the prognostic factors.

Methods: Detailed patient information was collected from the database of Japanese Melanoma Study Group of the Japanese Skin Cancer Society.

Prognostic Factors of Extramammary Paget's Disease.

Most patients with extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) show a good prognosis; however, some patients develop fatal metastases. Early detection is important for improving prognosis, due to the difficulties associated with the treatment of distant EMPD metastases. Several studies have emphasized the importance of the invasion level of the primary lesion for predicting the presence of metastasis, and deeper invasion or increased thickness is correlated with poorer prognosis.

The first nationwide surveillance of antibacterial susceptibility patterns of pathogens isolated from skin and soft-tissue infections in dermatology departments in Japan.

To investigate the trends of antimicrobial resistance in pathogens isolated from skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTI) at dermatology departments in Japan, a Japanese surveillance committee conducted the first nationwide survey in 2013. Three main organisms were collected from SSTI at 30 dermatology departments in medical centers and 10 dermatology clinics. A total of 860 strains - 579 of Staphylococcus aureus, 240 of coagulase-negative Staphylococci, and 41 of Streptococcus pyogenes - were collected and shipped to a central laboratory for antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

A proposal for a TNM staging system for extramammary Paget disease: Retrospective analysis of 301 patients with invasive primary tumors.

Background: Although extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) usually appears as carcinoma in situ, it sometimes becomes invasive (iEMPD) and fatal. However, a TNM staging system for iEMPD has yet to be established.

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish a TNM staging system for iEMPD.

Frequency of level II and III axillary nodes metastases in patients with positive sentinel lymph nodes in melanoma: a multi-institutional study in Japan.

Background: Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) has been recommended to include levels I-III for melanoma patients who have evidence of metastasis in the axillary sentinel lymph node (SLN). The extent of the subsequent axillary dissection is in debate. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of metastasis of level III nodes in addition to that of level II nodes in this setting.

Usefulness of docetaxel as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic extramammary Paget's disease.

In invasive extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD), distant metastases may develop and the condition may become fatal; however, no standardized treatment has been established. Although based on only a few cases, several chemotherapy regimens were reported to be promising. We conducted a multicenter, retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy of docetaxel for metastatic EMPD.

Clinical characteristics associated with BRAF, NRAS and KIT mutations in Japanese melanoma patients.

Background: The importance of the genetic background of melanoma cells to the individual susceptibility to treatment has become apparent. In Caucasians, BRAF mutations are frequently detected in lesions on the skin of younger patients compared to NRAS and KIT mutations. However, clinical and pathological characteristics associated with BRAF, NRAS and KIT mutations have not been fully evaluated in East Asians.

Family with MSH2 mutation presenting with keratoacanthoma and precancerous skin lesions.

Muir-Torre syndrome (MTS) is a familial cancer syndrome characterized by a predisposition to keratoacanthoma (KA) and sebaceous tumors. Although MTS and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) share the same genetic alterations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes, the other skin lesions in MTS or HNPCC have been only rarely reported. We report a family with an MSH2 mutation c.

The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the management of invasive extramammary Paget's disease: Multi-center, retrospective study of 151 patients.

Background: Although extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) mostly presents as intraepithelial carcinoma, we sometimes encounter patients with invasive EMPD (iEMPD) who have lymph node metastasis and may develop distant metastasis. Although sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is widely accepted for various cancers, there is no large study that has assessed its role in iEMPD.

Objective: The main objective of this study is to assess the role of SLNB in patients with iEMPD.

Assessment of melanoma-initiating cell markers and conventional parameters in sentinel lymph nodes of malignant melanoma.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsies have widely been used for the detection of occult LN metastasis of malignant melanoma (MM). In addition to conventional biomarkers, we assessed the diagnostic and prognostic significance of melanoma-initiating cell (MIC) markers in SLNs of MM. We examined the expressions of gp100, MART-1 and tyrosinase mRNA for routine diagnosis and those of ABCB5, CD133, nestin, KDM5B, NGFR and RANK mRNA as MIC markers.

Overt diabetes mellitus caused by the topical administration of dexamethasone ointment on the oral mucosa.

We herein describe the case of a 68-year-old man who developed overt diabetes mellitus following the topical administration of dexamethasone 0.1%-containing ointment over a five-month period to treat oral lichen planus. The topical dexamethasone therapy was discontinued gradually, and the patient was subsequently treated with insulin for one month without clinical signs of overt adrenal insufficiency.