Changes in the Incidence of Skin and Lip Cancer Between 1978 and 2007

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to analyze trends in the incidence of skin cancer worldwide, in Europe, and in Spain between 1978 and 2007.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Skin cancer incidence and trends for the period 1978 to 2007 were investigated using the age- and sex-standardized rates (per 100,000 population) published in the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents series.

RESULTS

The incidence of cutaneous melanoma increased progressively from 1978 to 2002 but decreased in the last period analyzed (2003-2007). The highest rates were reported for Australia and the white population in Hawaii. In Spain, the incidence of melanoma tripled in both sexes over the study period. The incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer also increased between 1978 and 2007, and higher rates were detected in men. The highest incidence rates were recorded in Australia, Brazil, and among the European inhabitants of Zimbabwe. In Spain, the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer had doubled or tripled in both sexes by the end of the study period.

LIMITATIONS

We were unable to analyze data for the period 2008 to 2012 due to a 5-year delay in the publication of data by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

The rise in the incidence of skin cancer, assessed using age-standardized rates, suggests that primary prevention measures are insufficient or inappropriate. The reduction in the incidence of cutaneous melanoma in Australia between 2003 and 2007 suggests that the preventive strategies initiated several decades earlier in that country have been effective.

Mesenchymal stromal cells: properties and role in management of cutaneous diseases

This review describes the current understanding and the potential use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in cell-based therapies for clinical management of difficult wounds and other dermatoses. MSCs have been shown to possess many advantageous properties that make them a promising therapeutic modality in dermatology still under investigation. In fact, MSCs' ability to promote wound healing through its paracrine function and pro-angiogenic properties have generated increasing interest for treating acute and chronic wounds. There is also great interest in utilizing MSCs' immunological characteristics for therapeutic use especially for patients with debilitating systemic autoimmune and inflammatory skin conditions who have failed other therapies. Its role in aesthetics has also been explored with clinical data showing improvement of acne scars and wrinkles from photoaging. Clinical trials are underway investigating the safety and efficacy of MSCs in the treatment of different skin conditions such as acute burns, diabetic and venous stasis ulcers, epidermolysis bullosa and systemic sclerosis, among others. We anticipate that as our understanding of the characteristics and function of MSCs grow, so will its role in cell-based treatments of dermatological conditions.

Beard alopecia areata: a multicentre review of 55 patients

BACKGROUND

Alopecia areata on the beard area (BAA) is a common clinical manifestation, but there are no studies about its characteristics.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the epidemiology, comorbidities, clinical presentation, evolution, diagnostic findings and therapeutic choices in a series of patients with BAA.

METHODS

This retrospective multicentre review included patients diagnosed with BAA as the first and unique clinical manifestation with at least 12 months of follow-up. Diagnosis was performed based on the typical clinical features. Extra-beard involvement was monitored in all cases.

RESULTS

Overall, 55 male patients with a mean age of 39.1 years (range 20-74) were included. Twenty-five patients (45.5%) developed alopecia of the scalp during follow-up and more than 80% of cases appeared in the first 12.4 months. Clinical presentation of AA on the scalp was patchy AA (less than 5 patches) (52%), multifocal AA (28%), AA totalis (12%) and AA universalis (8%). Multivariate analysis revealed a trend of association between scalp involvement and family history of AA without statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

According to this study, BAA may progress to scalp AA in a significant number of patients (45.5% of the patients with a follow-up interval of at least 12 months). In the group of patients who developed scalp AA, 80% of them did it within the first 12 months, so follow-up of patients with BAA is highly encouraged.