Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Tumour Burden of Melanoma and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to compare tumour burden in patients who underwent surgery for melanoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma during nationwide lockdown in Spain due to COVID-19 (for the period 14 March to 13 June 2020) and during the same dates in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, associations between median tumour burden (Breslow thickness for melanoma and maximum clinical diameter for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma) and demographic, clinical, and medical factors were analysed, building a multivariate linear regression model. During the 3 months of lockdown, there was a significant decrease in skin tumours operated on (41% decrease for melanoma (n = 352 vs n = 207) and 44% decrease for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (n = 770 vs n = 429)) compared with the previous year. The proportion of large skin tumours operated on increased. Fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with respect to family member/close contact, and detection of the lesion by the patient or doctor, were related to thicker melanomas; and fear of being diagnosed with cancer, and detection of the lesion by the patient or relatives, were related to larger size cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. In conclusion, lockdown due to COVID-19 has resulted in a reduction in treatment of skin cancer.

Mycosis fungoides after solid-organ transplantation: report of 2 new cases.

Long-term survival after solid-organ transplantation is increasing because of recent advances, including new immunosuppressive regimens to avoid graft rejection. However, the resultant modification of the immune system is associated with an increased risk of several cancers. The most common are skin cancers, and lymphomas are second in frequency. Nevertheless, posttransplant primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCLs) are rare, and their incidence is not well known currently. From the files of the Nephrology and Cardiology Departments of University Hospital "12 de Octubre" of Madrid, we obtained clinical data from 1612 transplanted patients and only found 2 cases of posttransplant PCLs, both were T-cell PCL. We reviewed the clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical characteristics; both cases were T-cell posttransplant PCLs manifested clinically as mycosis fungoides. One was a 57-year-old woman who had received a cadaveric kidney transplant, and the other was a 60-year-old man with a heart transplant. Histology and immunohistochemistry were consistent with the features of mycosis fungoides when lesions were completely developed. Up to 20% of all organ transplant recipients will suffer some form of malignancy. Unlike general population, 70% of PCLs in transplant recipients are B cell in origin and frequently show positivity for Epstein-Barr virus markers; whereas only 30% are cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Different pathogenic hypothesis including reduced immune surveillance, chronic antigenic stimulation by transplant grafts, and the direct oncogenic effects of immunosuppressive drugs have been suggested. Although cutaneous B-cell lymphomas are more common, dermatopathologists should be aware that cutaneous T-cell lymphomas may also appear.

Lichenoid nail changes as sole external manifestation of graft vs. host disease.

A 56-year-old-man who had refractory anemia with an excess of blasts underwent an allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) from his brother after preparation with melphalan and fludarabin. He received GvHD (graft-vs.-host disease) prophylaxis with cyclosporine from day -1 at a daily dose of 5 mg/kg of body weight. The daily dosage was tapered gradually from day +20. On post-PBSCT day 68 he developed acute cutaneous GvHD grade 3 and acute gastrointestinal GvHD grade 2-3, which was resolved with a daily dose of 1 mg/kg of body weight of prednisone. The patient was discharged in good clinical condition and without signs of GvHD, and he started tapering his immunosuppressive treatment. By day 160 he developed oral lichen planus-like changes, with several reticulate white lesions on the oral mucosa. A biopsy specimen was microscopically consistent with lichenoid GvHD (Fig. 1). By day 150 after PBSCT, when he was being treated with CsA 100 mg once daily and prednisone 10 mg once daily, his fingernails started to grow abnormally and gradually became dystrophic and painful. Two months later his toenails became similarly affected. Although affecting all finger and toe nails, the lesions were especially important in both thumbs. Physical examination revealed multiple findings on his nails (Fig. 2): thickening, fragility, onycholysis, longitudinal striations, and even pterygium. The micological cultures were negative. A biopsy specimen showed an sparse papillary dermis lymphoid infiltrate with focal exocytosis and presence of isolated multiple necrotic keratinocytes (Fig. 3). These findings were interpreted as a lichenoid GvHD with oral and nail involvement. The patient did not have other associated cutaneous lesions. He did not develop signs or symptoms consistent with hepatic GvHD. In May 2000 thalidomide was added to the immunosuppressive therapy, at a daily dose from 100 to 300 mg according to tolerance (constipation, sedation, ...). The lesions on the oral mucous showed a substantial improvement, but the nail changes remained more or less stable. Thalidomide was discontinued after 7 months because the patient displayed numbness and tingling in the hands and feet consistent with a peripheral neuropathy. Twenty days later he stopped taking thalidomide and the oral lichenoid lesions worsened, resulting in difficulty in eating. He also developed periungueal erythema, swelling and intense pain after minimal trauma. The daily dose of prednisone increased to 20-30 mg with moderate improvement. However, the dose could not be increased because of the secondary immunosuppressive effects. Twenty-three months post-PBSCT the patient remains with intense oral and nail lichenoid lesions.