Evaluation of primary care physicians' competence in selective skin tumour triage after short versus long dermoscopy training: a randomized non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: Although primary care physicians (PCPs) play a key role in skin cancer screening, their skills in detecting malignant tumours is suboptimal. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a short dermoscopy e-learning course (4 h) in skin tumour diagnosis for PCPs is non-inferior to a long course (12 h) in selective triage of skin lesions. Secondly, to evaluate whether regular refresher training sessions are necessary to maintain the PCPs' skills in the medium term. METHODS: A randomized 2 × 2 factorial non-inferiority trial was conducted online over an 8-month period among 233 PCPs including 126 certified general practitioners, 94 PCPs in training, and 13 occupational physicians, all without prior advanced dermoscopy training. Participants were randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive short training and mandatory refreshers (n = 58), short training and optional refreshers (n = 59), long training and mandatory refreshers (n = 58), or long training and optional refreshers (n = 58). PCPs' skills were evaluated before training (T0), immediately after training (T1) to test the non-inferiority, and after 5 months (T2) to evaluate the impact of the refreshers. The primary endpoint was the difference in the change of score after short and long training. The non-inferiority margin was set at -28%. RESULTS: Among the 233 randomized participants, 216 (93%) completed T1 and 197 (84.5%) completed T2. For short versus long training, the primary endpoint was 1.392 (95% CI: 0.138; 2.645) in the per-protocol population (p < 0.001) and 1.016 (95% CI: -0.224; 2.256) in the modified intention-to-treat population (p < 0.001). After training, the type of refresher showed no impact on the score (p = 0.840). However, PCPs who completed all refreshers showed the best mean overall score at T2 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm that short dermoscopy e-learning is non-inferior in training PCPs to triage skin lesions compared to long training. After training, regular refreshers are important to maintain the PCPs' acquired skills over time.

Is early detection of basal cell carcinoma worthwhile? Systematic review based on the WHO criteria for screening.

The incidence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) has risen three- to fourfold over the last 30 years and is expected to continue to increase with ageing of the population. Although BCC has a good prognosis, it causes significant morbidity and has an important impact on the public health budget due to direct treatment costs. Based on the existing evidence, a systematic evaluation of the World Health Organization criteria was performed to determine whether earlier detection of BCC could reduce morbidity and cost. BCC slowly increases in size, with a median increase in diameter of 0·5 mm over 10 weeks. There is an important delay in diagnosis ranging from 19 to 25 months. In several studies BCC size was the main determinant of treatment cost, surgical complexity, reconstruction technique and the specific surgical procedure performed, such as Mohs micrographic surgery or surgical excision. One study showed that size also seems to affect the cost per treatment for other nonsurgical options. The use of vismodegib, an inhibitor of the hedgehog pathway, is confined to locally advanced or metastatic BCC. Delays in diagnosis and appropriate treatment are the most important underlying causes in the occurrence of giant BCC and/or BCC with metastasis. Although the latter represent only a very small fraction of all BCCs, the majority of them are located in the facial region. The available data point to a slow increase in the size of BCCs over time. Size is one of the major determinants in choice of treatment and the associated cost, especially for facial BCC. Therefore we conclude that current data support early detection and adequate management of BCCs on the face.

Rosettes and other white shiny structures in polarized dermoscopy: histological correlate and optical explanation.

BACKGROUND: Rosettes are a specific form of a white shiny structure seen with polarized dermoscopy. The precise morphological correlate and optical explication are not known. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the frequency of rosettes in ex vivo dermoscopy and to find explication and morphologic correlate of this dermoscopic feature. METHODS: A series of 6108 consecutive skin biopsies were examined with ex vivo dermoscopy and when rosettes were present serial transverse sections with polarization were examined. RESULTS: In this series of 6108 consecutive skin biopsies, rosettes were found on ex vivo dermoscopy in 63 cases. When multiple we observed that they are always oriented at the same angle. Transverse sections with polarization of these lesions proved that smaller rosettes are mainly caused by polarizing horny material in adnexal openings, and larger rosettes by concentric perifollicular fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Rosettes are an optical effect of crossed polarization by concentric fibrosis or horny material and hence are not lesion-specific.

The Clinical Role of HPV Testing in Primary and Secondary Cervical Cancer Screening.

Traditional population-based cervical screening programs, based on cytology, have successfully reduced the burden of cervical cancer. Nevertheless limitations remain and new screening methods are emerging. Despite vaccination against the 2 most oncogenic types (HPV 16/18), cervical cancer screening will have to continue as an essential public health strategy. As the acquisition of an HR-HPV infection is critical in the progression to (pre-)cancerous cervical lesions, recent research has focused on HR-HPV detection. The sensitivity of HPV testing in primary and secondary prevention outweighs that of cytology, at the cost of slightly lower specificity. Although most of the HR-HPV infections are cleared after conization, new evidence from numerous studies encourages the implementation of HR-HPV testing and genotyping to improve posttreatment surveillance. An HR-HPV test 6 months after conization is a promising useful clinical marker to detect persistence and prevent progression. This review highlights the clinical role of HPV testing in primary and secondary cervical cancer screening.

Differentiation of atypical moles (dysplastic nevi) from early melanomas by dermoscopy.

Several conventional and new dermoscopic criteria are highly specific for diagnosing early melanomas. Until the reliability of the dermoscopic scoring systems has been validated, the presence of any combination of these specific features should elevate the index of suspicion for melanoma and prompt a biopsy to avoid missing this cancer.

Current guidelines in melanoma treatment. Melanoma Working Group of Gent and Bordet.

This article focuses on the actual management of cutaneous melanoma, dealing both with established, internationally well-accepted standard procedures and interventions which are still being investigated. It wants to offer a global picture to the dermatologist of what is currently available in the therapeutic arsenal against melanoma.

Risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma in patients with 'classic' atypical-mole syndrome. A case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: There is an increased risk of developing cutaneous malignant melanomas (MMs) in patients with classic atypical-mole syndrome (AMS). This study compares the incidence of newly diagnosed MMs in patients with classic AMS (cases) with the incidence of newly diagnosed MMs developing in a population without classic AMS (control patients). The charts of 287 white patients with AMS and 831 white patients without AMS were reviewed for the occurrence of newly diagnosed invasive MMs during follow-up. Both cases and control patients were followed up regularly by total-body cutaneous examinations. The cumulative 10-year risk for developing newly diagnosed invasive MMs was calculated (life-table method) for each cohort. RESULTS: Of the 287 AMS cases, 10 developed a newly diagnosed invasive MM, resulting in a 10-year cumulative risk of 10.7%. Of the 831 control patients, two developed a newly diagnosed invasive MM, resulting in a 10-year cumulative risk of 0.62%. CONCLUSION: Patients with classic AMS, regardless of the presence of a personal and/or family history of MM, are at significantly increased risk of developing invasive MMs compared with control patients.

Histopathologic correlates of structures seen on dermoscopy (epiluminescence microscopy).

Dermoscopy (epiluminescence microscopy) is an in vivo technique that enables the clinician to visualize a variety of structures in pigmented cutaneous lesions that are not discernible by naked-eye examination. To identify the histologic correlates of these structures, a series of 71 pigmented neoplasms was documented photographically with and without dermoscopy. These lesions then underwent total excision and careful step-sectioning so that the resulting histologic slides could be correlated with the dermoscopic photographs. The histologic correlates of the pigment network, brown globules, black dots, blotches, hypopigmented areas, white areas, grey-blue areas, and whitish veil are identified. The structures seen under dermoscopy have specific histologic correlates. Understanding these histopathologic correlates will allow clinicians to better evaluate the dermoscopic features of pigmented lesions.

Risk of another basal cell carcinoma developing after treatment of a basal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: There is an increased risk of new basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) developing in a person who has had a BCC. OBJECTIVE: This study attempts to define the magnitude of this increased risk. METHODS: The charts of 260 white patients with a histologically proven BCC were reviewed for the occurrence of new BCCs. The cumulative 5-year incidence (modified life-table method) for new BCCs developing in these patients was compared with the 5-year incidence in the general white population of the United States. RESULTS: Of the 260 patients, new BCCs developed in 137 within an average of 38.3 months, a 5-year cumulative rate of one or more new BCCs of 45.2%. The yearly risk for new BCCs developing in the study population remained high during the 5-year interval. In the general white population of the United States, the maximal 5-year incidence was calculated to be 5% (p < 0.005, chi-square test). CONCLUSION: Patients with a history of BCC require life-long follow-up because of the high probability of new BCCs developing.

Verification of a formula for determination of preexcision surgical margins from fixed-tissue melanoma specimens.

BACKGROUND: Recently our group reported on the shrinkage of 199 malignant melanoma surgical-excision specimens. In that report, a multivariate analysis revealed that the age of the patient was the only factor that significantly affected the percentage shrinkage of a surgical specimen. In addition, a formula was presented that extrapolates the actual surgical margins (in vivo) from the (contracted) fixed-tissue pathology report measurement and the reported in vivo lesion diameter. OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study are to verify that shrinkage of surgical specimens is approximately 20% and that the margin formula can be successfully applied to a different group of patients. METHODS: Four hundred seven patients with malignant melanoma were prospectively enrolled to measure preexcision (outlined with ink) surgical margins, fixed-tissue (contracted) surgical margins, and overall specimen shrinkage. RESULTS: It is verified that overall shrinkage of cutaneous surgical specimens is approximately 20%. Surgical specimens from patients younger than 50 years of age have approximately 25% shrinkage. Those specimens from patients 50 to 59 years of age have approximately 20% shrinkage and those from patients 60 years of age or older have about 15% shrinkage. The surgical margins predicted by the margin formula were within +/- 3.5 mm of the actual measured surgical margin 86.5% of the time. CONCLUSION: The actual surgical margins (in vivo) of a malignant melanoma can be reasonably estimated from the fixed-tissue pathology measurement via the margin formula. The shrinkage of a surgical specimen is 15% to 25% depending on the patient's age.

Influence of gender on survival in patients with stage I malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Women with stage I malignant melanoma (MM) have a survival advantage over men as judged by univariate analysis. However, on multivariate analysis, gender was found to be an independent predictor of survival in only 8 of 14 published studies. OBJECTIVE: This study attempts to explain the disparate findings for gender as a prognostic factor in different multivariate analyses. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed on 832 patients with stage I MM in the New York University Melanoma Cooperative Group (NYU-MCG) data base. The results were compared with those of 14 similar studies. RESULTS: In the NYU-MCG data base, gender, age of the patient, and number of mitoses per square millimeter were not independent factors on multivariate analysis, whereas thickness, anatomic site, and presence of ulceration were. The statistically significant difference in survival by gender on univariate analysis, in the NYU-MCG data base, could be explained by the differences in thickness and anatomic site of the MMs in the sexes. Comparison of these results with the reviewed reports from the literature consistently shows thickness and ulceration to be independent prognosticators of survival. Likewise, most authors agree that age is not an independent predictor. However, there is no consensus with respect to gender and site, each of which was found to be an independent predictor of survival in only about half the studies reviewed. CONCLUSION: The disparate findings for gender in different multivariate analyses are explained by a gender-related difference in anatomic distribution of MM. Gender and site appear to have a similar influence in multivariate analysis and thus either one or the other is a dominant factor in different multivariate analyses.

Level of education and the risk of malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUND: The risk for the development of malignant melanoma has been reported to be higher in persons with more formal education than in individuals with less. OBJECTIVE: To study whether those with more formal education are indeed at more risk for malignant melanoma than those with less formal education. METHODS: This case-control study explores the relation between education and melanoma risk by analyzing data collected by the American Cancer Society. A total of 1.2 million people were surveyed for a history of cancer and followed up for 6 years for the development of any cancer. In total, 2780 white persons had a history of malignant melanoma or developed malignant melanoma during the study period. The controls were age-, sex-, and geographically matched white persons selected from the remaining people enrolled. RESULTS: Both men and women were shown to have a statistically significant increase in the relative risk for malignant melanoma with increasing education level (p less than 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). This relation was more striking in men when the relative risk with 95% confidence interval was calculated by sex for each education level. CONCLUSION: Americans with more formal education are at greater risk for malignant melanoma than those with less education.

Clinical features of dysplastic nevi.

The clinical features of 100 dysplastic nevi were tabulated. Although certain characteristics were present in most or all of these melanocytic nevi, there was a marked heterogeneity of other clinical features. The preponderant type of large (greater than or equal to 8 mm) melanocytic nevus in patients with classic dysplastic nevi is a papule or plaque with the following characteristics: multicoloration (various shades of tans, browns, reds, or black); slightly raised height for its broad diameter; mamillated surface; and lack of hypertrichosis. An atlas illustrates some of the clinical varieties of melanocytic nevi in this syndrome.

Malignant melanoma in the 1990s: the continued importance of early detection and the role of physician examination and self-examination of the skin.

Despite the exciting new techniques being developed to help diagnose early malignant melanoma, the current standard of care remains periodic examination of the skin. The combination of routine physician examination coupled with self-examination of the skin provides an opportunity for the identification of early malignant melanoma. Removal of such thin lesions can significantly reduce the ever-increasing mortality rate from this potentially serious form of cutaneous cancer.

Late recurrence of malignant melanoma: a report of five cases, a review of the literature and a study of associated factors.

This is a study of factors associated with late recurrence (i.e. 10 or more years after definitive surgery) of cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM). Four factors were evaluated: Breslow thickness, site of the primary MM, age of the patient at initial treatment for MM, and gender. These factors were compared between two groups: (1) Stage I cases in the New York University Melanoma Cooperative Group (NYU-MCG) database that had 'early recurrence' (less than 10 years) of MM, and (2) cases in the literature with late recurrence of MM plus five new cases reported here. Compared to the group of patients with 'early recurrence' of MM, the group of patients who had late recurrence of MM were found more likely to have thinner primary melanomas (p less than 0.001), to be younger (p less than 0.001), to be female (p = 0.001), and, for females, to have the MM located on an extremity (p = 0.017). Because late recurrence does occur and because the risk of developing a new primary MM is increased in MM patients, any patient who has had a MM should be followed for life.

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum: similar autosomal recessive subtype in Belgian and Afrikaner families.

A multidisciplinary survey of the clinical and genetic characteristics of 26 Belgian and 32 Afrikaner families with biopsy-proven pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) was undertaken. The major PXE phenotype emerging from this study is very similar in both patient groups and is characterized by severe ophthalmologic manifestations with variable, mild cutaneous and vascular symptoms. In the families with more than one affected relative, segregation analysis is compatible with autosomal recessive inheritance in both groups. It is suggested that the PXE phenotype of these Belgian and Afrikaner patients is distinct from the other recognized PXE subtypes. The phenotypic resemblance in both patient groups raises the question whether a similar genetic mechanism is involved.