A national clinician survey on the British Society for Dermatological Surgery guidelines on antithrombotic agent use in skin surgery.

Antithrombotic medication is taken by 14-22% patients undergoing skin surgery, with more patients now taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). The latest evidence suggests that the risk of stopping DOACs perioperatively is low in skin surgery, particularly for primary closures, but remains unclear for more complex procedures. The 2016 British Society for Dermatological Surgery (BSDS) guidelines suggest that clinicians could consider stopping DOACs in patients for 24-48 h, based on individual bleeding risk. We surveyed BSDS members to better understand clinical practice and guideline adherence with a view to updating the guidance. The results demonstrated that there is consistency among clinicians in the management of patients on more established antithrombotic agents, such as aspirin, clopidogrel and warfarin. However, there is a higher perceived risk of significant haematomas following higher-risk procedures such as larger flaps or grafts with DOACs vs. other antithrombotics postoperatively. Stopping DOACs perioperatively for 24-48 h for higher-risk procedures can be cautiously considered following an individual risk assessment and informed discussion with the patient.

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma with 'monster' cells: a mimic of pleomorphic basal cell carcinoma.

Pleomorphic giant or 'monster' cells represent a well-recognized yet uncommon finding associated with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), usually of nodular type. We present a case of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (basaloid SCC) with 'monster' cells that closely mimicked those described in pleomorphic nodular BCC. Clinically, the lesion presented as a fleshy, hyperkeratotic nodule in an 82-year-old woman. Histopathology revealed a basaloid lesion with lobulated borders and focal retraction artifact but a lack of prominent palisading or stromal mucin. There were areas of necrosis and small foci of keratinization. Striking bizarre monstrous pleomorphic nuclei were widely scattered throughout the lesion. Ber-EP4 immunohistochemistry proved to be negative and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) expression was moderate to strong in 70% of the basaloid epithelium. Monster cells have not previously been highlighted in cutaneous SCC or in its uncommon cutaneous basaloid variant. The prognostic significance of monster cells is unknown but, given the relative paucity of keratinization in basaloid SCC, these lesions should probably be regarded as poorly differentiated. We have not previously encountered an SCC that so closely resembles nodular BCC with pleomorphic monster cells and believe that this is the first such report in the literature.