Bowen Disease Within a Circumscribed Palmar Hypokeratosis.

ABSTRACT: Circumscribed palmar or plantar hypokeratosis is a focal disorder of keratinization that consists of a reduction in the thickness of the corneal layer of the epidermis of palms or soles. Although it is considered a benign entity, the thinning of the stratum corneum facilitates ultraviolet damage in the affected skin, which may result in an increased risk of developing focal epidermal dysplasia. Other factors, such as immunosuppression in transplanted patients, may play a role as well. We present a case of circumscribed palmar or plantar hypokeratosis with features of Bowen disease limited to the hypokeratotic epidermis.

Discriminative deep learning based benignity/malignancy diagnosis of dermatologic ultrasound skin lesions with pretrained artificial intelligence architecture.

BACKGROUND: Deep-learning algorithms (DLAs) have been used in artificial intelligence aided ultrasonography diagnosis of thyroid and breast lesions. However, its use has not been described in the case of dermatologic ultrasound lesions. Our purpose was to train a DLA to discriminate benign form malignant lesions in dermatologic ultrasound images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We trained a prebuilt neural network architecture (EfficientNet B4) in a commercial artificial intelligence platform (Peltarion, Stockholm, Sweden) with 235 color Doppler images of both benign and malignant ultrasound images of 235 excised and histologically confirmed skin lesions (84.3% training, 15.7% validation). An additional 35 test images were used for testing the algorithm discrimination for correct benign/malignant diagnosis. One dermatologist with more than 5 years of experience in dermatologic ultrasound blindly evaluated the same 35 test images for malignancy or benignity. RESULTS: EfficientNet B4 trained dermatologic ultrasound algorithm sensitivity; specificity; predictive positive values, and predicted negative values for validation algorithm were 0.8, 0.86, 0.86, and 0.8, respectively for malignancy diagnosis. When tested with 35 previously unevaluated images sets, the algorithm´s accuracy for correct benign/malignant diagnosis was 77.1%, not statistically significantly different from the dermatologist's evaluation (74.1%). CONCLUSION: An adequately trained algorithm, even with a limited number of images, is at least as accurate as a dermatologic-ultrasound experienced dermatologist in the evaluation of benignity/malignancy of ultrasound skin tumor images devoid of clinical data.

Immunophenotypic Differences in Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Neovascularization Between Primary Cutaneous Melanoma With and Without Metastasis: An Immunohistochemical Study of 80 Cases.

ABSTRACT: The prognostic implications of the immunophenotype of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in primary cutaneous melanoma are well known. In recent years, the study of this immunophenotype has also resulted in immunotherapeutic consequences. The aims of this study were to characterize the subpopulations of TILs in primary cutaneous melanoma, in cases with and without metastasis, as well as the neovascularization associated with the primary neoplasm, and its influence on the development of metastasis. To this end, the immunophenotype of TILs and the neovascularization of 80 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma (40 each with metastatic and non-metastatic melanoma) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for CD3, CD4, CD8, FOXP3, PD-1, CD31, and D2-40 antibodies. We found that higher frequencies of TILs with brisk pattern, and CD4+, CD8+, and CD20+ cells in TILs, and a lower frequency of CD31+ vessels were histopathological features associated with better prognosis in primary cutaneous melanoma. Our results support the notion that the immunohistochemical study of TILs and neovascularization in primary cutaneous melanoma may be helpful tools for identifying patients at increased risk of metastasis development.

Dermatologic Ultrasound in Primary Care: A New Modality of Teledermatology: A Prospective Multicenter Validation Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate dermatologic ultrasound as a complementary teledermatologic imaging modality in primary and tertiary care centers. METHODS: Six primary care centers and 1 tertiary care dermatology department collaborated in the program. Images were sent through the institutional teledermatologic platform to the tertiary care dermatology department. At the reference hospital, ultrasound images and clinical data were received and registered by a physician trained in dermatologic ultrasound. An in-person consultation was scheduled to confirm the teleultrasound diagnosis. The time of response by the tertiary center, quality and size of the teledermatologic image, and concordance with the in-person diagnosis were assessed for each dermatologic lesion. RESULTS: A total of 147 teleultrasound consultations with 143 patients (93 women and 50 men; mean age ± SD, 47 ± 23 years) were evaluated between June 2018 and January 2019. Nine teleultrasound consultations (6.1%) were not valid. Discordance between teleultrasound and the in-person diagnosis was evident in 6 of 138 cases (4.3%). Most cases corresponded to benign skin tumors (66.7%), followed by inflammatory skin lesions (15.9%), nonmelanoma skin lesions (13%), and other skin lesions (4.3%). All malignant tumors were detected (sensitivity, 100%), although 2 cases of benign lesions were telediagnosed as malignant (specificity, 97.8%). The positive and negative predictive values of a teleultrasound diagnosis of cutaneous malignancy were 90% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Asynchronous primary care teleultrasound combined with dermatologic ultrasound training at tertiary centers is an effective teledermatologic modality.

Ex Vivo High-Frequency Ultrasound for Assessment of Basal Cell Carcinoma.

The use of Mohs micrographic surgery for poorly defined cutaneous tumors is present in a few departments in Spain. Reintervention is occasionally necessary when the margins of the surgical specimen are invaded by the tumor. We propose the use of ultrasound to assess these margins by imaging the surgical specimen once excised.

Increased Marginal Stiffness Differentiates Infiltrative From Noninfiltrative Cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinomas in the Facial Area: A Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common dermatologic malignant skin cancer. Infiltrative histologic variants are more aggressive and require wider surgical margins or Mohs surgery, in contrast with noninfiltrative variants, which are commonly treated with standard surgical excision. Elastography has not been used to date to differentiate between the histologic variants of BCC. The purpose of this study was to differentiate infiltrative from noninfiltrative BCCs on elastography. METHODS: A total of 31 facial BCCs were studied. Preoperatively, color Doppler ultrasound and strain elastographic examinations of the lesions were performed. The size, intralesional vascularization, and presence of hyperechoic dots were considered relevant B-mode and color Doppler variables. Strain ratios of the tumors were obtained with respect to adjacent healthy tissue. Increased marginal stiffness, which was considered hardness in greater than 50% of the tumor margin, was also blindly evaluated. Histologic confirmation and subtyping (infiltrative or noninfiltrative) were performed in all cases. RESULTS: Infiltrative BCCs did not differ in the size, presence or absence of hyperechoic dots, or vascularization from noninfiltrative BCCs. Strain ratios were similar in both infiltrative and noninfiltrative BCCs (mean ± SD, 1.82 ± 0.879 versus 2.2 ± 1.11). However, infiltrative BCCs had statistically increased marginal stiffness in comparison with noninfiltrative BCCs (88.0% versus 18.8%). Increased marginal stiffness had sensitivity and specificity of 0.89 and 0.82 respectively, with a positive predictive value of 0.67 for infiltrative BCCs and a negative predictive value of 0.95 for noninfiltrative BCCs. CONCLUSIONS: Histologic variants of BCC have different elastographic patterns. These differences may be of help in preoperative assessments of the BCC subtype and specific surgical planning, avoiding unnecessary skin biopsies.

Clearance of seborrhoeic keratoses with topical dobesilate.

A patient with two seborrhoeic keratoses in the face received a single daily application of dobesilate cream during 6 months. Dobesilate achieved complete clearance of the seborrhoeic keratosis lesions with good cosmoses, suggesting that this compound is a safe and efficient candidate in the treatment of seborrhoeic keratoses.

Cutaneous metastases of breast carcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous metastases can have variable clinical appearances and can mimic benign skin lesions. They are usually seen in patients with advanced disease, but they can be the presenting lesion. CASE PRESENTATION: A 48-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of progressive appearance of multiple asymptomatic nodular lesions on the chest. The recognition of cutaneous metastases often dramatically alters therapeutic plans, especially when metastases signify persistence of cancer originally thought to be cured. The most common tumor to metastasize to the skin is breast cancer. CONCLUSION: Every practitioner should be highly suspicious of acute-onset, persistent, firm papulonodules, especially when they develop on the chest.