Verrucous carcinoma of the nail bed.

Verrucous carcinoma is a rare, highly keratinizing variant of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or mucosae characterized by a local aggressiveness but a low potential for metastasis. The plantar form is also known as epithelioma cuniculatum. Fingers and toes are rarely affected, and tumors of the nail bed are exceptional. Clinically, the lesion presents like a wart and is then often misdiagnosed. Treatment of choice is wide surgical excision. A case of verrucous carcinoma of the nail apparatus is presented, and diagnosis is discussed.

Biomechanical assessment of photodamage: Derivation of a cutaneous extrinsic ageing score.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Intrinsic aging and photoaging may present different biomechanical properties. Dorsal and volar forearm skin is differently exposed to UV-light. The object was to derive a cutaneous extrinsic aging score (SEAS) representative of UV aging, i.e. the global photoaging corrected for intrinsic aging. METHODS: The Cutometer SM 474 was used for the measurement of skin mechanical properties. 86 healthy Caucasian women were studied. Dorsal and volar forearm skin was measured. RESULTS: Age related changes consisting of an overall increase in skin extensibility (Uf) and viscoelastic ratio (Uv/Ue) with decreased biologic elasticity (BE) was observed. Differentials in extensibility (Uf) and viscoelastic ration (Uv/Ue) between the volar and the dorsal test sites increase with age. CONCLUSIONS: Biomechanical parameters allow the evaluation of intrinsic aging in the concept of overall photoaging resulting from the combination of environmental damages superimposed to the intrinsic changes.

Comparative karyometry in Bowen's disease and bowenoid papulosis. Derivation of a nuclear atypia index.

Bowen's disease and bowenoid papulosis are two diseases that are currently viewed as low grade in situ carcinomas of the epidermis. Their distinction is sometimes disputed. We undertook a morphometric comparison of the size and shape of nuclei in these diseases. We also derived an index of nuclear atypia combining changes in the medians and coefficients of variation of nuclear areas, and variation in the nuclear contour indexes. Significant differences were found in the morphometric parameters between Bowen's disease and bowenoid papulosis. The etiology, clinical aspects and karyometric evaluations allow a distinction between these two diseases.

[Plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumor]. / Tumeur plexiforme fibrohistiocytaire.

Plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumour has been recently described by Enzinger and Zhang. This is a rare tumour with low grade malignancy which requires large excision. We report two cases, one occurring in a 58-year-old man, presenting a voluminous painless mass of 5 cm on his hand, the other occurring in a 9-year-old boy consulting for a nodule on the chest. On histological examination this dermal hypodermal tumour is characterized by a proliferation of histiocytic-like cells grouped in nodules, where they are associated with multinucleated osteoclastic-like cells and a proliferation of fibroblastic-like cells grouped in fascicles, anastomosing in a plexiform pattern. Immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural aspects are described. Differential diagnosis and histogenesis are discussed.