Prospective study of patterns of surgical management in adults with primary cutaneous melanoma at high risk of spread, in Queensland, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of variation in diagnosis and surgery in high-risk primary melanoma patients is limited. We assessed frequency and determinants of diagnostic procedures, wide local excision (WLE) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). METHODS: People in Queensland newly diagnosed with melanoma, clinical stage 1b or 2, were recruited prospectively. Patient information was collected from questionnaires and pathology records. Differences in surgical procedures in relation to host and tumor characteristics were assessed. RESULTS: In 787 participants, primary melanoma was diagnosed by surgical excision (74%), shave (14%), punch (12%) or incisional (1%) biopsy. General practitioners (GPs) diagnosed 80%. Diagnostic procedure differed by remoteness of residence, health sector, treating doctor's specialty and melanoma site and thickness. 766 patients had WLE, 86% by surgeons. Of 134 residual melanomas, 13 (10%) were ≤ 1 mm at diagnosis but > 1 mm at WLE, mostly after shave biopsy. SLNB was performed in 261 (33%) patients. SLNB was more common in those under 50, in remoter locations or treated by GP initially, and less common with head and neck melanoma. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic and surgical procedures for primary melanoma vary substantially and partial biopsy can influence initial tumor microstaging. Patient, tumor and doctor characteristics influence SLNB practice.

Granulomas in common variable immunodeficiency: a diagnostic dilemma.

A 60-year-old man with common variable immunodeficiency presented with a 7-year history of violaceous plaques and papules on the thighs, arms and trunk. In the preceding 2 years he had developed new lesions on both hands. He had been previously diagnosed with sarcoidosis on the basis of skin and visceral histology, but subsequent opinion was that these were sarcoid-like granulomas rather than being representative of true sarcoidosis. Biopsy of the hand lesions showed necrotizing granulomas, and a single acid-fast bacillus (AFB) was identified on Wade-Fite stain. Subsequent repeat tissue biopsies for histology, culture and polymerase chain reaction testing failed to confirm the presence of mycobacterial organisms and it was felt that the organism was a contaminant introduced during tissue processing. The hand lesions responded well to intralesional injections of triamcinolone acetonide 10 mg/mL and oral tetracycline 500 mg b.d. was later introduced with a good clinical response. The diagnostic dilemma of finding granulomatous inflammation in a patient with common variable immunodeficiency, and the significance of a single AFB on histology are discussed. The treatment of sarcoid-like granulomas with tetracycline therapy is also commented on.