Correlation of focal adhesion kinase expression with nodal metastasis in patients with head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and cortactin overexpression is frequently detected in a variety of cancers, and has been associated with poor clinical outcome. However, there are no data in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC).

Objective: To investigate the relationship of FAK and cortactin expression with the clinicopathologic features and the impact on the prognosis of cSCC patients.

Dermoscopy of chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis.

Chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis (CNH) is a benign auricular disease whose differentiation with nonpigmented tumors is mandatory. Clinical characteristics of CNH are well known, but there is no information about the dermoscopic features that could help differentiate CNH from squamous cell carcinoma and other non-melanoma skin cancers. To describe the dermoscopic appearance of CNH and to formulate a differential diagnostic model, we conducted  a retrospective, single center, observational dermoscopic study on a sample of 189 biopsy-proven lesions: 25 CNH; 26 squamous cell carcinomas; 62 basal cell carcinomas and 76 other benign and malignant tumors.

Tumor programmed cell death ligand 1 expression correlates with nodal metastasis in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Background: Binding of tumor-expressed programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) surface receptor blocks T-cell activation thereby leading to immune evasion. Tumor PD-L1 expression has been associated with poor outcome in a wide variety of cancers; however, data in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) are scarce and conflicting.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of tumor PD-L1 expression with the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of cSCC.

The adverse prognostic effect of tumor budding on the evolution of cutaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Tumor budding is a readily detectable histopathologic feature that has been recognized as an adverse prognostic factor in several human cancers.

Objective: We sought to assess the correlation of tumor budding with the clinicopathologic features and the prognostic value of tumor budding in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC).

Methods: Forty-nine primary nonmetastatic and 49 primary metastatic cSCCs to regional lymph nodes were retrospectively studied.