Mohs surgery for melanoma in situ: how we do it.

The advent of rapid immunostains has made the use of Mohs surgery to treat melanoma more practical. Mohs surgery is especially useful in the management of lentigo maligna, which often has indistinct clinical margins. The authors describe their technique for treating melanoma in situ with Mohs surgery.

Rapid frozen section immunostaining of melanocytes by microphthalmia-associated transcription factor.

Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) has increasingly become an accepted therapy for melanoma in situ on chronically sun damaged skin (CSDS). However, melanocytes are difficult to locate in frozen material on hematoxylin and eosin. In addition, determining the cut-off between the melanoma and the "atypical melanocytic hyperplasia" in CSDS can be challenging in frozen or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections, with or without immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Modulation of hyaluronan production by CD44 positive glioma cells.

This study examines the functional relationship between glioma cell production of hyaluronan (HA), known to play a role in glioma invasion, expression of its CD44 receptor, and glioma cell viability. Production of HA by CD44 positive mouse G26 and human U373 glioma cell lines was evaluated and compared to that of a CD44 positive mouse fibroblast-like L929 cell line. We found that both G26 and U373 MG glioma cells, but not L929 fibroblast-like cells, synthesized HA.

Innovative 19-minute rapid cytokeratin immunostaining of nonmelanoma skin cancer in Mohs micrographic surgery.

Background: Dense inflammation can obscure nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) on frozen sections, prompting removal of additional layers to ensure negative margins. Cytokeratin (CK) immunostaining in Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) has been examined and found to be useful but is limited by lengthy 1-hour processing.

Objective: Our objective was to develop an effective ultrarapid CK frozen section immunostain to be used during MMS in cases of NMSC with dense or perineural inflammation.

Immunohistochemical stains in Mohs surgery: a review.

Background: During Mohs surgery, there are instances in which residual tumor cells may be difficult to detect, thereby increasing the risk of incomplete excision and tumor recurrence. It is possible to employ immunohistochemical techniques as an adjunct to routine hematoxylin and eosin staining to aid in ensuring negative margins.

Objective: To review the literature regarding the use of immunostains in Mohs surgery.

Comparison of MART-1 frozen sections to permanent sections using a rapid 19-minute protocol.

Background: The use of melanoma-associated antigen recognized by T cells (MART-1) immunostain has been proposed as a useful adjunct to overcome the inherent difficulties in the use of frozen sections during Mohs surgery for the treatment of melanoma, but no studies have compared MART-1 frozen sections with MART-1 permanent sections. Current MART-1 1-hour protocols add significant time to the procedure.

Objective: To determine whether there is a significant difference between frozen and permanent MART-1 immunostained sections using a rapid 19-minute protocol.

CD44 adhesion molecule and neuro-glial proteoglycan NG2 as invasive markers of glioma.

Glioma invasion into the CNS involves the interaction of tumor cells with the host's cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. In this study, the expression of ECM-associated and cell-associated proteins such as the transmembrane CD44 adhesion molecule and neuro-glial proteoglycan 2 (NG2), a member of the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan family, were evaluated during glioma progression, in vitro and in vivo, using a model of a highly invasive and aggressive intracerebral mouse G-26 glioma. We found a marked increase in CD44 and NG2 expression in brain tissue containing glioma.