Classic Kaposi sarcoma in an HIV-negative Han Chinese man: a case report.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a multifocal angioproliferativetumor of endothelial origin. Despite nearly identicalclinical and histopathologic presentations, KS isclassified into four distinct varieties: classic/sporadic,AIDS-associated, African/endemic, and iatrogenic. Allsubtypes are invariably linked to human herpesvirus-8(HHV-8) and show a male predilection. Classic Kaposisarcoma is exceedingly rare in the Asian populationand its incidence varies by region and ethnic grouppredominance. A study in the Xinjiang region of Chinafound that only 1% of classic KS cases occurred inpatients belonging to the Han Chinese ethnic group,which formulates 84% of the Taiwanese population.Therefore, classic KS is extremely rare in Taiwan, withvery few reports describing the manifestations ofdisease in this population. We report a case of animmunocompetent 68-year-old HIV-negative HanChinese man born and raised in Taiwan with classicKaposi sarcoma on his trunk and extremities.

Lichen planus of the eyelids: a case report and review of the literature.

Lichen planus (LP) of the eyelid is an under-reportedmanifestation of a common inflammatory condition.To the best of our knowledge fewer than 20 cases ofeyelid LP have been described in the English literature.We report a case of a 29-year-old woman whopresented with 3-month history of bilateral eyelidpruritic violaceous papules and similar lesions on herchest and lower extremity. Histology examinationrevealed characteristic findings and a diagnosisof LP was established. This report further reviewsthe previously reported 18 cases and discussesmanagement strategies.

Precursor-B-cell-ALL leukemia cutis resembling lipomas: an atypical presentation of a rare entity and a review of the literature.

Leukemia cutis (LC) is an extramedullary manifestationof leukemia owing to cutaneous infiltration ofneoplastic cells resulting in characteristic firm,erythematous nodules. Most cases of LC occur inpatients with acute myelogenous leukemia andchronic myelogenous leukemia. However in rarecases, LC has presented in patients with acutelymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In these rare ALLassociatedcases, only 10 cases of precursor-B-ALL(pre-B-ALL) have been described in the literature.We report a case of a 22-year-old man with relapsingpre-B-ALL who presented with a 4-day history ofmultiple asymptomatic, soft, dome-shaped, lipomalikemounds on his scalp and chin, which exhibitedcutaneous involvement by leukemic cells. To date, thisis the first case of pre-B-ALL associated leukemia cutispresenting as soft, dome-shaped mounds resemblinglipomas.

Multiple clear cell acanthomas and a sebaceous lymphadenoma presenting in a patient with Cowden syndrome - a case report.

Cowden syndrome (CS) is an uncommon autosomal dominant multiorgan/system genodermatosis. It is characterized by the development of multiple hamartomas of endodermal, mesodermal and ectodermal origin, an increased lifetime risk of breast, thyroid, endometrial and other cancers and an identifiable germline mutation. Mucocutaneous hamartomas are the most common lesions seen and mainly include facial trichilemmomas, oral mucosal papillomas and benign acral keratoses. Herein, we report a case of a 63-year-old Caucasian male with a long-established diagnosis of CS and history of thyroid cancer, colonic polyps, and innumerable trichilemmomas, seborrheic keratoses, squamous papillomas and non-melanoma skin cancers excised in the past. He presented in four separate occasions with small skin-colored papulonodular lesions that upon excision revealed to be clear cell acanthomas. He also developed a tumor in the preauricular area that was completely resected and was found to be a sebaceous lymphadenoma (SLA) of the parotid gland. This is to our knowledge, the second report of clear cell acanthoma and also the second reported case of SLA in a patient with CS.

Cutaneous metastasis to the scalp as the primary presentation of colorectal adenocarcinoma.

Eruptaneous metastasis is an uncommon presentation of colorectal adenocarcinoma that can occur years after diagnosis of the primary cancer or manifest as the first sign of malignancy. It is essential to diagnose these metastases immediately, as this late-stage development carries a poor prognosis. The scalp is one of the less common sites for skin metastases and nodules may be mistaken for benign entities. In this case report, we report on the case of a 61-year-old woman with CREST syndrome who presented with a cutaneous metastasis to the scalp as the first sign ofcolorectal adenocarcinoma.

El coloproctólogo venezolano 2005: quiénes somos y qué hacemos? / The venezuelan colorectal surgeon 2005: who are we and what do we do?

La Sociedad Venezolana de Coloproctología desea conocer el perfil del coloproctólogo venezolano para promover y estructurar el desarrollo de la especialidad. Se envió un cuestionario a todos los miembros activos titulares y asociados de la Sociedad Venezolana de Corporación para investigar demografía, formación y experiencia coloproctológica, distribución hospitalaria y características de la práctica coloproctológica durante el último año transcurrido. Los resultados fueron analizados estadísticamente mediante análisis de varianza y test de Pearson Chi cuadrado; el nivel de significancia fue p<-0,05. La Sociedad Venezolana de Coloproctología registra 118 especialistas para abril de 2005. Se analizaron 49 cuestionarios (41,5%). La edad promedio: 48 años (33-72). La mayoría ejercen en la capital de país (55,1%). La formación ha sido principalmente en programas reconocidos (77,55%). Poco más de la mitad (53%) combinan el ejercicio privado y público y el 43% ejercen la medicina privada exclusivamente. La práctica de los miembros titulares es predominante coloproctológica (antes que de cirugía general) y principalmente de cirugía anorrectal. La cirugía laparoscópica colorrectal es practicada frecuentemente por 26,53% de la membresía general de los miembros. Los miembros títulares de la Sociedad Venezolana de Coloproctología mantienen una práctica acorde a la especialidad. Sin embargo, debe lograrse una distribución geográfica uniforme, mayor a casos de cirugía abdominal y aumentar la oferta de cirugía laparoscópica colorrectal.