Cutaneous toxicities of new treatments for melanoma.

New drugs against advanced melanoma have emerged during last decade. Target therapy and immunotherapy have changed the management of patients with metastatic disease. Along with its generalized use, drug toxicities have appeared and the skin is the target organ of a significant part of them. This revision summarizes the most common side effects and consensus management to improve the compliance of therapies and patients' quality of life. Among the BRAF inhibitors, main cutaneous side effects are photosensitivity, plantar hyperkeratosis, and the appearance of verrucal keratosis or squamous cell carcinoma. Special attention must be paid to the development of new primary melanomas or changes on nevi during BRAF inhibitor therapy. The most common cutaneous side effects of immunotherapy are rash, pruritus, and vitiligo. It remains controversial the possible role of these toxicities as markers of response to therapy.

"Pinch modification" used to repair a large surgical defect on the scalp: other proposed uses.

Dr Peng's "pinch modification" of the linear advancement flap, a reconstructive technique used to correct surgical wounds on the nose and suggested as a surgical alternative in other non-hair-bearing skin, was used successfully to correct a surgical defect of 55 mm in diameter located on the occipital area, on hair-bearing skin. Other possible uses for this technique are suggested.