Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy: Is There a Role in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer? A Systematic Review.

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) aims at identifying clinically occult nodal metastases. It is the standard staging procedure for patients with T1b to T4 primary cutaneous melanoma. Moreover, it is recommended whenever the risk of a positive SLNB is >5%, according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Melanoma guidelines.

Treatment strategies with electrochemotherapy for limb in-transit melanoma: Real-world outcomes from a European, retrospective, cohort study.

Background: This study analysed treatment strategies with electrochemotherapy (ECT) in melanoma with limb in-transit metastases (ITM).

Methods: We audited AJCC v.8 stage IIIB-IIID patients treated across 22 centres (2006-2020) within the International Network for Sharing Practices of ECT (InspECT).

Langerhans Cells in Sentinel Lymph Nodes from Melanoma Patients.

Background: Langerhans cells (LCs) are professional Dendritic Cells (DCs) involved in immunoregulatory functions. At the skin level, LCs are immature. In response to tissue injuries, they migrate to regional Lymph Nodes (LNs), reaching a full maturation state.

Targeting GLI1 and GLI2 with small molecule inhibitors to suppress GLI-dependent transcription and tumor growth.

Aberrant activation of Hedgehog (HH) signaling in cancer is the result of genetic alterations of upstream pathway components (canonical) or other oncogenic mechanisms (noncanonical), that ultimately concur to activate the zinc-finger transcription factors GLI1 and GLI2. Therefore, inhibition of GLI activity is a good therapeutic option to suppress both canonical and noncanonical activation of the HH pathway. However, only a few GLI inhibitors are available, and none of them have the profile required for clinical development due to poor metabolic stability and aqueous solubility, and high hydrophobicity.

The importance of mitosis ≥2 in selecting patients with T1 cutaneous melanomas for sentinel lymph node biopsy.

The 8th Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual removed the mitotic rate (MR) as a staging criterion for T1 melanomas, thus leading to a debate on sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in thin melanomas. This study investigates whether MR plays a role in selecting patients with T1 melanoma for SLNB. We analyzed clinical and histological data from the Florence Melanoma & Skin Cancer Unit database for 313 patients with a single thin melanoma who had undergone SLNB.

The role of sentinel node tumor burden in modeling the prognosis of melanoma patients with positive sentinel node biopsy: an Italian melanoma intergroup study (N = 2,086).

Background: The management of melanoma patients with metastatic melanoma in the sentinel nodes (SN) is evolving based on the results of trials questioning the impact of completion lymph node dissection (CLND) and demonstrating the efficacy of new adjuvant treatments. In this landscape, new prognostic tools for fine risk stratification are eagerly sought to optimize the therapeutic path of these patients.

Methods: A retrospective cohort of 2,086 patients treated with CLND after a positive SN biopsy in thirteen Italian Melanoma Centers was reviewed.

Tolerogenic IDO1CD83 Langerhans Cells in Sentinel Lymph Nodes of Patients with Melanoma.

Langerhans cells (LCs) are crucial regulators of anti-cancer immune responses. Cancer, however, can alter DCs functions leading to tolerance. The enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) plays a crucial role in this process.

Psychological impact of BRAF mutational status in advanced melanoma patients.

Background: The aim of the study was to highlight the psychological aspects involved in patients with advanced melanoma and to describe the differences between subjects who are positive and negative for the BRAFv600e genetic mutation, a variable that leads to a different medical approach to cancer therapy. The hypothesis is that following knowledge of the genetic mutation and the therapeutic possibilities inherent to it, mutation positive patients (BRAF+) exhibit fewer negative psychological reactions than negative patients (BRAF-) at the time of diagnosis.

Methods: The tests used (SF-12, MHQ) were administered at the time of diagnosis and after three months.

Efficacy of Electrochemotherapy in the Treatment of Cutaneous Melanoma Metastases and Rare Non-melanoma Skin Cancer.

Background: We aimed to verify the clinical efficacy and safety of the electrochemotherapy in melanoma metastases and in cases of rare non-melanoma tumors that were difficult to treat for the specific anatomical site or for patient comorbidities.

Patients And Methods: We treated 68 patients (699 cutaneous nodules), 44 patients with metastatic melanomas and 24 patients with non-melanoma tumors, at the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Unit, Florence, Italy.

Results: We obtained an objective response of 89.

Insights into Genetic Susceptibility to Melanoma by Gene Panel Testing: Potential Pathogenic Variants in ACD, and .

The contribution of recently established or candidate susceptibility genes to melanoma missing heritability has yet to be determined. Multigene panel testing could increase diagnostic yield and better define the role of candidate genes. We characterized 273 and negative probands through a custom-designed targeted gene panel that included and Co-segregation, loss of heterozygosity (LOH)/protein expression analysis, and splicing characterization were performed to improve variant classification.

Factors Affecting Sentinel Node Metastasis in Thin (T1) Cutaneous Melanomas: Development and External Validation of a Predictive Nomogram.

Purpose: Thin melanomas (T1; ≤ 1 mm) constitute 70% of newly diagnosed cutaneous melanomas. Regional node metastasis determined by sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is an important prognostic factor for T1 melanoma. However, current melanoma guidelines do not provide clear indications on when to perform SNB in T1 disease and stress an individualized approach to SNB that considers all clinicopathologic risk factors.

Enhancing the prognostic role of melanoma sentinel lymph nodes through microscopic tumour burden characterization: clinical usefulness in patients who do not undergo complete lymph node dissection.

This study aimed to investigate the sentinel lymph node (SLN) tumour burden to predict the non-SLN positivity rate and the survival of melanoma patients to evaluate whether SLN microstaging could predict the prognosis, similar to what is currently performed by examining the lymph nodes excised by complete lymph node dissection. Of 1130 consecutive melanoma patients who underwent SLN biopsy, 226 were tumour-positive and 204 were included in this study. SLN metastases were classified on the basis of dimensional (Rotterdam) and topographic (Dewar) criteria either separately or combined.

Prediction of Non-sentinel Node Status in Patients with Melanoma and Positive Sentinel Node Biopsy: An Italian Melanoma Intergroup (IMI) Study.

Background And Purpose: Approximately 20% of melanoma patients harbor metastases in non-sentinel nodes (NSNs) after a positive sentinel node biopsy (SNB), and recent evidence questions the therapeutic benefit of completion lymph node dissection (CLND). We built a nomogram for prediction of NSN status in melanoma patients with positive SNB.

Methods: Data on anthropometric and clinicopathological features of patients with cutaneous melanoma who underwent CLND after a positive SNB were collected from nine Italian centers.

High Antigen Processing Machinery component expression in Langerhans cells from melanoma patients' sentinel lymph nodes.

Langerhans cells (LCs) from melanoma patients sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) are poor T cell activators mostly due to an immature immunophenotype. However Antigen Presenting Machinery (APM) role is unknown. We investigated HLA-class I APM components (Delta, LMP-7/10, TAP-1, Calnexin, Tapasin, β2-microglobulin and HLA-A,B,C) in LCs from healthy donors skin and melanoma patients SLN.

A rare case of anal porocarcinoma treated by electrochemotherapy.

We report the case of an old woman with an eccrine porocarcinoma unusually localized in the perianal area treated by electrochemotherapy, a new technique, emerging as a very effective local treatment of different skin metastases and selected primary tumors. Electrochemotherapy was performed taking into account patient wishes and refusal of demolitive surgery. The electrochemotherapy treatment was well tolerated by the patient, it gave an excellent clinical response and a complete clinical regression with no sphincter dysfunction and signs of relapse observed during follow-up.

Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis: congenital alopecia treatment in a rare neurocutaneous syndrome.

Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) is a rare neurocutaneous syndrome that include skin, ocular, and neurological disorders. This study describes the case of a 16-year-old girl that came to observation for the treatment of a congenital alopecia causing great psychological distress. After two expansion procedures the hairless patch was restored with high patient satisfaction.

Dendritic cells recruitment in melanoma metastasis treated by electrochemotherapy.

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a novel treatment for recurrent or in-transit unresectable melanoma metastases based on the administration of anti-neoplastic drugs followed by cancer cell electroporation. Whether ECT can also induce anti-tumour immunity is unclear. We addressed this issue investigating the presence of dendritic cells (DCs) in the inflammatory infiltrate of ECT-treated lesions.

Polymorphisms of estrogen receptors: risk factors for invasive melanoma - a prospective study.

Cross-sectional studies have reported associations between a number of polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) gene and the body mass index, hypertension, coronary flow reserve, coronary atherosclerosis, and osteoporosis. There are currently no data examining the genetic polymorphisms of the ERα and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) genes in melanoma patients. The aims of this study were to investigate the associations of genetic polymorphisms of the ERα and ERβ genes with melanoma risk.

"Saddle" tailored upper eyelid island myocutaneous flap to repair full-thickness lower eyelid defects after melanoma excision.

Purpose: To perform an early melanoma diagnosis and to repair the full-thickness lower eyelid defect with an island upper eyelid myocutaneous flap tailored into a new shape.

Methods: Two patients with pigmented lesion involving skin and tarsus of the lower eyelid were reported. Histologic examination, performed after diagnostic punch biopsy, confirmed the diagnosis of in situ melanomas in both cases.