Invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the eyes in patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis.

We described 3 male patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis seen in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital; their ages were 25, 30 and 34 years subsequently. They developed frequent multiple basal and squamous cell carcinoma, all of them had periorbital squamous cell carcinoma that invaded the orbit and ended with enucleation of their eyes. All available therapeutic measures failed to inhibit the progressiveness of these tumors. Great awareness and early management must be performed regarding any periorbital lesion in epidermodysplasia verruciformis patients.

Acral lentiginous melanoma versus lentigo maligna melanoma among Iraqi patients.

OBJECTIVE: To report the different clinical aspects of malignant melanoma and their varieties in Iraqi patients. METHODS: We carried out this study in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq during the period from 1985-2005. Eighteen patients with malignant melanoma were enrolled in this work. The different clinical aspects and histopathological examination were determined. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 18 patients (15 females and 3 males) with a female to male ratio of 5:1. Their ages ranged from 12-75 years (mean +/- SD, 43.72 +/- 14.75 years) while the duration of the disease ranged between 0.25-5 years (1.98 +/- 1.44 years). The duration of acral lentiginous melanoma was 0.5-4 years (2.16 +/- 1.36 years) and in nodular type was 0.5-3 years (1.28 +/- 0.90 years), while in lentigo maligna melanoma was 1.5-5 years (3.37 +/- 1.49 years). Regarding the location and gender of the patients affected, 6 cases (all females) were on the acral parts of the body (4 on the feet, and 2 on the hands), 5 patients (all females) on the face, 5 cases (4 females and one male) on the lower legs, while the remaining 2 male cases, was on the interscapular region and the other one on the elbow area. CONCLUSION: We conclude that malignant melanoma in Iraqi patients is a disease of younger females, which presented mainly as acral lentiginous melanoma, nodular melanoma and lentigo maligna melanoma and superficial spreading melanoma.