Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans in childhood

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a fibrohistiocytic tumor of intermediate malignancy that is very rare in childhood. Only 6% of these tumors present in children. Clinical diagnosis is very difficult in the early stages of disease, but to ensure appropriate treatment it is important to identify DFSP as early as possible and rule out benign conditions that are more common at this age. The clinical presentation and histopathologic and molecular characteristics of DFSP are similar in children and adults. Clinical diagnosis is, however, more difficult in children and requires a high degree of suspicion. The absence of characteristic features and the rarity of this tumor explain why diagnosis is often delayed. Complete surgical excision of the tumor is very important to reduce the risk of recurrence. This article presents a review of current knowledge about the management of DFSP in children and examines the latest treatment options.

Risk variants for psoriasis vulgaris in a large case-control collection and association with clinical subphenotypes

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified >20 new loci associated with the susceptibility to psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) risk. We investigated the association of PsV and its main clinical subphenotypes with 32 loci having previous genome-wide evidence of association with PsV (P < 5e-8) or strong GWAS evidence (P < 5e-5 in discovery and P < 0.05 in replication sample) in a large cohort of PsV patients (n = 2005) and controls (n = 1497). We provide the first independent replication for COG6 (P = 0.00079) and SERPINB8 (P = 0.048) loci with PsV. In those patients having developed psoriatic arthritis (n = 955), we found, for the first time, a strong association with IFIH1 (P = 0.013). Analyses of clinically relevant PsV subtypes yielded a significant association of severity of cutaneous disease with variation at LCE3D locus (P = 0.0005) in PsV and nail involvement with IL1RN in purely cutaneous psoriasis (PsC, P = 0.007). In an exploratory analysis of epistasis, we replicated the previously described HLA-C-ERAP1 interaction with PsC. Our findings show that common genetic variants associated with a complex phenotype like PsV influence different subphenotypes of high clinical relevance.

Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans in Childhood

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a fibrohistiocytic tumor of intermediate malignancy that is very rare in childhood. Only 6% of these tumors present in children. Clinical diagnosis is very difficult in the early stages of disease, but to ensure appropriate treatment it is important to identify DFSP as early as possible and rule out benign conditions that are more common at this age. The clinical presentation and histopathologic and molecular characteristics of DFSP are similar in children and adults. Clinical diagnosis is, however, more difficult in children and requires a high degree of suspicion. The absence of characteristic features and the rarity of this tumor explain why diagnosis is often delayed. Complete surgical excision of the tumor is very important to reduce the risk of recurrence. This article presents a review of current knowledge about the management of DFSP in children and examines the latest treatment options.

[Treatment of scalp psoriasis: review of the evidence and Delphi consensus of the Psoriasis Group of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology]

Scalp lesions are common in psoriasis and difficult to treat. Scientific evidence on the topic is scant and fragmentary, especially with respect to long-term treatment. This consensus statement is based on a critical assessment of the results of a MEDLINE search for clinical trials of the efficacy and safety of therapies used to treat scalp psoriasis. The recommendations were developed by an expert panel using the Delphi process to reach a consensus and then ratified by the members of the Psoriasis Group of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. The recommended induction therapy for scalp psoriasis is either a topical corticosteroid or a topical treatment combining calcipotriol and betamethasone. The choice of an appropriate vehicle is crucial in improving effectiveness and patient adherence to treatment. The only formulations that have been studied in the long-term treatment of scalp psoriasis are a combination of calcipotriol and betamethasone in gel and calcipotriol alone in solution.

[Spanish evidence-based guidelines on the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis with biologic agents]

Psoriasis vulgaris is an inflammatory skin disease that is generally chronic and that affects between 1 % and 2 % of the population in industrialized Western countries. It is associated with a marked decline in quality of life. A wide range of treatments are currently available, although surveys conducted before the advent of biologic agents reflected a strong degree of dissatisfaction with the treatments then available. Extensive scientific evidence has been gathered on the safety of biologic agents, and this has led to a review of the role of systemic treatment in general and has allowed new therapeutic goals and strategies to be contemplated in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. In this new situation, there is a need for Spanish guidelines on the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis with biologic agents, drafted by consensus among specialists and ratified by the Spanish Psoriasis Group of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV). These guidelines should be evidence-based with regard to the pharmacologic characteristics, mechanism of action, administration route and regimen, efficacy, contraindications, adverse effects, and cost estimates of biologic agents approved for the treatment of moderate-to severe psoriasis in Spain.

[Consensus document on the evaluation and treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Spanish psoriasis group of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology]

The treatment of psoriasis has been revolutionized by the introduction of biologic agents; these agents achieve skin clearance and long-term improvement without the risk of toxicity that has limited use of the classic systemic treatments. The role of systemic treatment in the management of psoriasis is being reviewed on the basis of a large volume of scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of biologic agents, and new therapeutic goals and strategies are being devised for patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. This has led to the need to establish severity criteria that will provide the rationale for the indication of the different systemic agents currently available for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis, as well as therapeutic goals, efficacy measures, therapeutic strategies, screening protocols, and choice of treatment based on the risk-benefit ratio of the different agents. These criteria must be established through consensus by experienced dermatologists and based on available scientific evidence. The present document reflects the consensus of the Spanish Psoriasis Group on these different issues in the management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

[Update of the topical treatment of psoriasis]

Topical therapy continues to be one of the pillars of psoriasis management. Topical corticosteroids and vitamin D analogs are the drugs of choice during the induction phase, and vitamin D analogs continue to be drugs of choice for maintenance therapy. Tazarotene and dithranol are suitable options in patients with certain, specific characteristics. The calcineurin inhibitors can be considered to be second-line treatment for psoriasis of the face and flexures. The efficacy and safety of the fixed-dose combination of betamethasone and calcipotriol in the induction phase is greater than that of either drug alone. The combination of corticosteroids with salicylic acid achieves better results than corticosteroids in monotherapy. None of the drugs evaluated stands out over the others in all clinical situations, and their use must therefore be individualized in each patient and adjusted according to the course of the disease.

Significant improvement in extensive lichen sclerosus with tacrolimus ointment and PUVA

Lichen sclerosus is an uncommon, chronic inflammatory skin disorder of unknown origin. It is clinically characterized by sclerotic, whitish, atrophic-type lesions. The most frequent site of the lesions is generally the genital region, with about 15-20% having additional extragenital involvement. We present the case of a 62-year-old woman with a very extensive extragenital lichen sclerosus who showed great clinical and subjective improvement with 0.1% tacrolimus ointment and psoralen plus UVA (PUVA), without any topical or systemic adverse effects. Combined treatment of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment and PUVA may be a good option in extensive cases of lichen sclerosus or when other treatment options have failed, and has a good tolerability and safety profile.

Rosacea-like demodicosis in an HIV-positive child

A second case of rosacea-like demodicosis in an HIV-positive child was seen at our center. No such cases have previously been published. The present case is a 2-year-old boy, the son of an HIV-positive mother, who responded well to oral erythromycin and topical metronidazole. The frequency of rosacea-like eruptions in HIV-negative children is very low. However, the incidence of these eruptions in HIV-positive children may have been underestimated. The pathogenic role of Demodex mites is discussed as well as the possible mechanisms for an exaggerated reaction.

Leishmania infection occurring in herpes zoster lesions in an HIV-positive patient

We report the first case of co-infection with herpes zoster and leishmania in the same lesion, on the face of a 29-year-old female, who was an intravenous drug user and who was HIV positive. The infection was initially resistant to acyclovir and itraconazole, and the patient died due to severe internal complications, not attributed to visceral leishmaniasis. The prevalence of leishmania infection in the Mediterranean countries is increasing among the HIV-positive population because of the existence of human carriers. Paradoxically, most of these patients show mild forms of visceral leishmaniasis.

[Childhood benign chronic bullous dermatosis. Differential diagnosis with dermatitis herpetiformis and bullous pemphigoid]

We review the literature on benign chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood and the criterions for its diagnosis and differentiation from dermatitis herpetiformis and bullous pemphigoid. The diagnosis among these conditions should be based on immunofluorescence data. BCBDC shows linear IgA on the basal membrane zone. Its course is benign and there is not enteropathy. In dermatitis herpetiformis we find granular IgA and complement in the tips of dermal papillae. It is a chronic illness and the patients have a gluten-sensitive enteropathy. The bullous pemphigoid is a severe condition which needs corticosteroids for its control. Direct immunofluorescent studies reveal IgG and complement in a linear pattern in the membrane basal zone. It is associated with circulating antibasement membrane zone IgG.