Immunohistochemistry in Dermatopathology and its Relevance in Clinical Practice

Advancing Cancer Research: Current Knowledge on Cutaneous Neoplasia

Skin cancers require a multidisciplinary approach. The updated guidelines introduce new insights into the management of these diseases. Melanoma (MM), the third most common skin cancer, a malignant melanocytic tumor, which is classified into four major histological subtypes, continues to have the potential to be a lethal disease. The mortality-incidence ratio is higher in Eastern European countries compared to Western European countries, which shows the need for better prevention and early detection in Eastern European countries. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) remain the top two skin cancers, and their incidence continues to grow. The gold standard in establishing the diagnosis and establishing the histopathological subtype in BCC and SCC is a skin biopsy. Sebaceous carcinoma (SeC) is an uncommon and potentially aggressive cutaneous malignancy showing sebaceous differentiation. It accounts for 0.7% of skin cancers and 3-6.7% of cancer-related deaths. Due to the rapid extension to the regional lymph nodes, SeC requires early treatment. The main treatment for sebaceous carcinoma is surgical treatment, including Mohs micrographic surgery, which has the advantage of complete margin evaluation and low recurrence rates. Primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCLs) are a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative diseases, with no evidence of extracutaneous determination at the moment of the diagnosis. PCLs have usually a very different evolution, prognosis, and treatment compared to the lymphomas that may secondarily involve the skin. The aim of our review is to summarize the important changes in the approach to treating melanoma, non-melanoma skin, cutaneous T and B cell lymphomas, and other types of skin cancers. For all skin cancers, optimal patient management requires a multidisciplinary approach including dermatology, medical oncology, and radiation oncology.

Granuloma Annulare: An Updated Review of Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Treatment Options

Granuloma annulare (GA) is an inflammatory granulomatous skin disease that can be localized (localized GA) or disseminated (generalized GA), with patch, perforating, and subcutaneous subtypes being less common variants of this benign condition. Recently, new research has emerged that further elucidates GA epidemiology and etiopathogenesis; importantly, new therapeutic options for GA have also been described, although there remains a paucity of randomized controlled studies. In this review, we summarize recent updates on GA epidemiology and etiopathogenesis and offer an updated review of the therapeutic options for GA currently reported in the literature. We hope that the current review galvanizes randomized controlled studies that will in turn help lead to the recommendation of evidence-based treatments for GA.

Cutaneous involvement in diffuse large B cell lymphoma at presentation: report of two rare cases and literature review

BACKGROUND

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) can occur at nodal and/or extra-nodal sites. After the gastrointestinal tract, cutaneous involvement predominates in extra-nodal DLBCL. Skin involvement at presentation can be in the form of plaques, papules, nodules or ulcers. Differentiating primary cutaneous DLBCL from systemic DLBCL with cutaneous involvement is important for appropriate patient management.

CASE PRESENTATION

We describe here, two interesting cases of skin involvement in DLBCL- one primary cutaneous DLBCL and the other, cutaneous involvement in systemic DLBCL with different clinico-pathological profiles. Though both cases had almost similar morphology of the skin lesions (ulcero-proliferative) at presentation, the disease was confined to the skin in the former, while the latter had involvement of lymph nodes and bone marrow.

CONCLUSIONS

Meticulous clinical evaluation, appropriate histopathological and immunohistochemical workup helped in their diagnosis and correct classification of the disease status, guiding the further treatment decisions.