[Chronic actinic dermatitis: treatment with topical tacrolimus (two cases)]

BACKGROUND

Chronic actinic dermatitis is usually controlled under systemic immunosuppressive drugs. We report herein two patients successfully treated with topical tacrolimus.

CASE REPORTS

Two men aged 60 and 70 years were treated for chronic actinic dermatitis for two years using systemic immunosuppressive drugs. Due to drug intolerance and treatment resistance, systemic treatment was substituted by topical tacrolimus. Cutaneous lesions improved dramatically within two months but withdrawal of daily application was immediately followed by recurrence of the lesions.

DISCUSSION

Our cases, together with the 10 others reported in the literature, confirm the efficacy of topical tacrolimus in the treatment of chronic actinic dermatitis. Since tacrolimus chiefly targets activated T lymphocytes, it has been successfully deployed in various inflammatory dermatoses and its use is logical in the treatment of chronic actinic dermatitis. While dramatic improvement is achieved within a few weeks in this indication with twice-daily applications of tacrolimus ointment 0.1%, symptoms recur rapidly on dosage reduction, and extremely long-term, or even lifelong, treatment is thus probably needed. Topical tacrolimus application has been shown to be safe for periods of three years. However, the peculiar mechanism of chronic actinic dermatitis with a pronounced imbalance in T-cell subsets raises the question of theoretical risk of carcinogenicity of tacrolimus applications, and this, together with the prolonged duration of treatment, calls for long-term follow-up of chronic actinic dermatitis patients.

Absence de valeur prédictive des signes de régression histologique sur l’envahissement du ganglion sentinelle

BACKGROUND

The predictive value of regression in melanoma is debated.

AIM OF THE STUDY

A retrospective single-centre study to evaluate the correlation between regression in primary skin tumor and the presence of micrometastases in sentinel lymph nodes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Histological signs of regression in 84 melanomas (>1 mm) with corresponding sentinel lymph nodes were studied by two independent pathologists.

RESULTS

Regression was seen in 40 skin melanoma tumors while micrometastasis was seen in 24. Of the tumors with micrometastasis, only 10 were regressive (RR: 0.47, p=0.49). Breslow value>2 mm and male sex were predictive for node micrometastasis (RR: 4.6, p=0.03 and RR: 7.6, p=0.006, respectively). On multivariate analysis, these two factors were independent.

COMMENTS

These data suggest that regression in primary cutaneous melanoma is not predictive for lymph node metastasis.

[Radiation-induced temporary hair loss after endovascular embolization of the cerebral arteries: six cases]

BACKGROUND

Intraoperative fluoroscopy imaging during coronaroplasty or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt may induce chronic radiodermatitis. Temporary hair loss is a peculiar form of radiodermatitis following endovascular surgery of the cerebral arteries.

CASE REPORTS

Six patients (2 women, 4 men, age range: 27-47 years old) were seen for a solitary plaque of alopecia. In all of the cases, the plaque had appeared two weeks after a neuroradiologically guided embolization procedure. No other skin lesions were seen. Alopecia spontaneously and completely regressed within three to four months. However, it reappeared after a subsequent embolization (one case) but not after arteriographies (five cases).

DISCUSSION

Five similar cases have been reported in the literature. Transient alopecia often occurs after neurologically guided endovascular surgery of the cerebral arteries. This side-effect is well known by neurosurgeons and thus, these patients are rarely referred to a dermatologist. Two differential diagnoses must be evoqued: alopecia aerata and anticonvulsant - induced alopecia. The role played as cofactor by carbamazepine which is a photosensitivant drug, is discussed.

Sensitivity and specificity of clinical, histologic, and immunologic features in the diagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus

BACKGROUND

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies mainly directed against proteins of the plakin family. An overlapping distribution of autoantibody specificities has been recently reported between PNP, pemphigus vulgaris (PV), and pemphigus foliaceus (PF), which suggests a relationship between the different types of pemphigus.

OBJECTIVE

Our purpose was to evaluate the sensitivity and the specificity of clinical, histologic, and immunologic features in the diagnosis of PNP.

METHODS

The clinical, histologic, and immunologic features of 22 PNP patients were retrospectively reviewed and compared with those of 81 PV and PF patients without neoplasia and of 8 PV and 4 PF patients with various neoplasms.

RESULTS

One clinical and 2 biologic features had both high sensitivity (82%-86%) and high specificity (83%-100%) whatever the control group considered: (1) association with a lymphoproliferative disorder, (2) indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) labeling of rat bladder, and (3) recognition of the envoplakin and/or periplakin bands in immunoblotting. Two clinicopathologic and two biologic features had high specificity (87%-100%) but poor sensitivity (27%-59%): (1) clinical presentation associating erosive oral lesions with erythema multiforme-like, bullous pemphigoid-like, or lichen planus-like cutaneous lesions; (2) histologic picture of suprabasal acantholysis with keratinocyte necrosis, interface changes, or lichenoid infiltrate; (3) presence of both anti-epithelial cell surface and anti-basement membrane zone antibodies by IIF; and (4) recognition of the desmoplakin I and/or BPAG1 bands in immunoblotting. Interestingly, 45% of patients with PNP presented initially with isolated oral erosions that were undistinguishable from those seen in PV patients, and 27% had histologic findings of only suprabasal acantholysis, which was in accordance with the frequent detection of anti-desmoglein 3 antibodies in PNP sera.

CONCLUSION

The association with a lymphoproliferative disorder, the IIF labeling of rat bladder, and the immunoblotting recognition of envoplakin and/or periplakin are both sensitive and specific features in the diagnosis of PNP.

[Extracorporeal photopheresis as an alternative therapy for drug-resistant graft versus host disease: three cases]

BACKGROUND

Graft versus host reaction is a life-threatening complication of allogenic bone marrow transplantation. Extracorporeal photopheresis has been used for some years in the treatment of graft versus host reaction. We report on three children treated with extracorporeal photopheresis for a graft versus host reaction resistant to immunosuppresive drugs.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Three children with a graft versus host reaction were submitted to 18, 30 and 46 extracorporeal photopheresis courses respectively. In the same time, the other immunosuppressive treatments were tapered or definitively stopped (ciclosporin).

RESULTS

A dramatic improvement of cutaneous status and biological data was observed after the first courses. However, the extracorporeal photopheresis treatment did not improve the mucous lesions. No serious adverse effect was encountered.

COMMENTS

As published elsewhere, extracorporeal photopheresis was effective on the graft versus host reaction lichenoid cutaneous lesions and in case of visceral involvement. In all of our cases, the immunosuppressive drug could have been tapered. No adverse event was observed. Thus, extracorporeal photopheresis should be indicated in case of resistance to immunosuppressive drugs.

Results of a phase II trial with cystemustine at 90 mg/m(2) as a first- or second-line treatment in advanced malignant melanoma: a trial of the EORTC Clinical Studies Group

From May 1991 to January 1996, 54 patients with advanced malignant melanoma were enrolled into a phase II trial testing the new nitrosourea cystemustine, administrated intravenously as a 15 min infusion every 2 weeks at 90 mg/m2 for three cycles followed by 60 mg/m2. Out of the 54 enrolled patients, 10 were Ineligible, leaving 44 fully evaluable patients (World Health Organization criteria). Twenty one patients had already received first-line palliative chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. The median age was 62 years (range 30-74 years) and the median performance status was 0 (grade 0, 19 patients; grade 1, 21 patients; grade 2, 4 patients). Five patients with partial responses (lasting 16-29 weeks, mean duration 24 weeks), nine with stable disease and 28 showing progression were observed, giving an overall response rate of 11% (confidence interval 3.8-24.6%). Toxicity was mild and consisted mainly of neutropenia (39% grade III-IV), thrombocytopenia (42% grade III-IV); febrile aplasia was rare. Cystemustine administered to this schedule appears to have limited clinical activity and acceptable toxicity in untreated or second-line advanced malignant melanoma.