Successful treatment of multiple keratoacanthoma with topical imiquimod and low-dose acitretin

Intralesional methotrexate versus 5-flurouracil in the treatment of keratoacanthoma

BACKGROUND

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a benign neoplasm that affects mainly photodamaged skin. It is locally destructive and may rarely spread. Surgery is not always suitable and usually disfiguring. Thus, non-operative modalities represent good alternatives.

OBJECTIVE

To assess and compare the efficacy of intralesional methotrexate (MTX) and 5-flurouracil (5-FU) in the treatment of KA.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Randomized controlled trial included 20 patients with biopsy proven KA divided into 2 equal groups; group (A) received intralesional MTX, 25 mg/ml and group (B) received intralesional 5-FU, 50 mg/ml every 2 weeks till complete clearance or for a maximum 5 sessions.

RESULTS

In the MTX group, complete clearance was observed in 7 patients (70%) compared to 8 patients (80%) in the 5- FU group with no statistically significant difference. However, the median number of injections needed to achieve complete response in the MTX group was 3 sessions versus only 2 sessions in the 5-FU group.

LIMITATIONS

the small sample size due to the relatively low incidence of KAs in our population.

CONCLUSION

Intralesional therapy is a good alternative to surgery in selected cases of KA. Both drugs showed comparable efficacy, but 5-FU may give faster results, hence increasing patient satisfaction and compliance.

When Surgery Won't Cut It: Successful Management of Eruptive Squamous Atypia With Combination Medical Therapy

The termeruptive squamous atypia(ESA) is used to describe squamous proliferations that do not present with high-grade histologic features and for which surgical management may exacerbate the condition. Non-surgical management of ESA with radiation, local or systemic chemotherapy, retinoids, or immunotherapy have been reported with variable success. In contrast, combination treatment with retinoids, immunomodulatory or chemotherapeutic agents may result in a more durable response. We report a case of recalcitrant ESA of the lower extremities where complete clinical remission was induced with triple combination medical management with intralesional 5-fluorouracil, field treatment with topical 5-fluorouracil and imiquimod, and oral acitretin. Our case adds to the literature supporting combination medical therapy for challenging cases of ESA.

Soluble Factors and Receptors Involved in Skin Innate Immunity-What Do We Know So Far?

The pattern recognition receptors, complement system, inflammasomes, antimicrobial peptides, and cytokines are innate immunity soluble factors. They sense, either directly or indirectly, the potential threats and produce inflammation and cellular death. High interest in their modulation has emerged lately, acknowledging they are involved in many cutaneous inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic disorders. We extensively reviewed the implication of soluble factors in skin innate immunity. Furthermore, we showed which molecules target these factors, how these molecules work, and how they have been used in dermatological practice. Cytokine inhibitors have paved the way to a new era in treating moderate to severe psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

Relative Efficacy of Nonoperative Treatment of Keratoacanthomas

Background

Keratoacanthomas (KAs) are neoplasms of squamous epithelium which exhibit rapid growth and are often difficult to distinguish clinically from squamous cell carcinoma. Excision is the most common treatment, but in refractory cases or for KAs in cosmetically sensitive areas, nonoperative modalities may be better suited.

Objective

To compare efficacies of topical and intralesional therapies for the treatment of KAs.

Methods

A systematic literature review was performed using Medline, Ovid, and Embase. Studies looking at the efficacy of topical or intralesional treatments for KAs were included. To compare efficacy, 2-tailed t-tests were performed, with P < .05 considered statistically significant.

Results

Forty-one studies were identified across 5 modalities. Both topical and intralesional treatments had high KA eradication rates (92%-100%). Intralesional 5-fluorouracil led to faster KA healing times when compared to intralesional methotrexate (3.7 vs 4.6 weeks, P = .017). Similarly, topical 5-fluorouracil led to faster time to heal than topical imiquimod (3.8 vs 7.6 weeks with imiquimod, P < .0001).

Conclusion

For nonoperative treatment of KAs, strong evidence currently exists for both topical and intralesional therapies. Decisions on which modality to use should be made on a case-by-case basis.

Keratoacanthomas arising in association with prurigo nodules in pruritic, actinically damaged skin

BACKGROUND

There is no known association between the development of keratoacanthomas and prurigo nodules.

OBJECTIVE

We report a case series of 7 patients with a long-standing history of actinic damage, pruritus, and prurigo nodularis who developed widespread keratoacanthomas within the same affected area.

METHODS

This was a retrospective case series assessing the clinical characteristics of patients with multiple keratoacanthomas arising in association with prurigo nodules.

RESULTS

All 7 patients were elderly Caucasian women (mean age 79 ± 3.7 years) with actinically damaged skin and a long-standing history of widespread pruritus and prurigo nodules. All patients had histologically confirmed keratoacanthomas, or squamous cell carcinomas with the clinical appearance of a keratoacanthoma, that developed within the field of prurigo nodules. All 7 patients had a clinical response to acitretin with a decrease in the number of lesions. Four patients had an associated eczematous dermatitis and were also treated with cyclosporine with improvement in pruritus and prurigo nodules and no increase in keratoacanthomas.

LIMITATIONS

The retrospective design and small number of patients are limitations to this study.

CONCLUSION

Our case series represents a distinct subset of elderly individuals with extensive actinic damage who we believe are predisposed to developing both prurigo nodules and keratoacanthomas.

A puzzling case: SCC or not?

We present a 37-year-old woman who underwent extensive facial surgery for removal of multiple eruptive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)-like lesions resembling invasive SCC histologically. The patient's mother had undergone numerous surgical procedures and radiotherapy for facial SCC. A review of the histology and immunohistochemistry for DNA mismatch repair proteins excluded Muir-Torre syndrome. A diagnosis of Ferguson-Smith disease (or multiple self-healing squamous epitheliomata) was suspected. Blood was sent for DNA analysis. Twelve months later, mutations of the TGFBR1 gene were demonstrated in 18 families (67 individuals) with Ferguson-Smith disease; among whom our patient and her mother were family 11.