Lichenoid drug eruption associated with imatinib mesylate therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Imatinib Mesylate (IM), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been reported to cause several adverse reactions, most of them with cutaneous involvement. Non- Lichenoid IM associated skin reactions have been sufficiently- recorded. To our knowledge, Lichenoid Drug Eruption (LDE) is recorded in a minority of registries. CASE REPORT: To describe an LDE induced case by IM treatment. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Histological Confirmation and promptly dermatological consultation relieved successfully the cutaneous adverse event. DISCUSSION: Ongoing expansion of IM usage in a wide spectrum of new indications is more likely to make physicians experience such LDE cutaneous side effects more often. Hence, they should be highly suspicious to early detect these distinct histologic entities, handle these undesired complications and guarantee satisfactory immediate outcomes, avoiding frivolous IM dosage modifications.

Epidemiological trends in cutaneous lymphomas in Greece.

Primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCLs) are a heterogenous group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas arising in the skin from T- or B-lymphocytes, for which there is limited epidemiological data available. To describe the disease characteristics and estimate annual incidence rates (IRs) and temporal trends of PCLs and their subtypes in Attica, Greece. A retrospective analysis of all PCL patients, diagnosed in Attica's main haemopathology referral centre from 2009 to 2021, was conducted. In total, 1,189 patients were included; 725 males and 464 females (males__females=1.56). The median age at diagnosis was 62 years. The annual IR was 2.2 new cases per 100,000 individuals. Most patients (n=979, 82.3%) were diagnosed with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) with a crude IR of 1.8 new cases per 100,000 person-years. Mycosis fungoides (MF) was the most common subtype (n=817, 68.7%), followed by lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) (n=59, 5.0%). The crude IR for MF was 1.5 new cases per 100,000 person-years. Cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (CBCLs) accounted for 17.6% (n=210) of all PCLs (IR: 0.4 new cases per 100,000 person-years). PCL, CTCL and MF incidence rates increased from 2009 to 2019, followed by a decrease in 2020-2021. The incidence rate of CBCL increased steadily during the study period. The annual IRs of PCL in Greece were higher than those reported in other studies from Europe, America and Asia. The increase in IRs from 2009 to 2019 may reflect physicians' improved diagnostic efficiency. The COVID-19 pandemic may be the reason for the decline in PCL, CTCL and MF diagnoses from 2020 to 2021.

Lymphoepithelioma-like bladder cancer: clinicopathologic study of six cases.

Herein, we report on our experience with six patients (0.3%) diagnosed with lymphoepithelioma-like bladder carcinoma (LELBC) over the past 15 years at our department. The mean age of the patients with LELBC was 73 years (range 69-80 years). All patients had at least pT2 disease. The primary treatment was transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, radical cystectomy (RC), and radiotherapy (RT) in one, two, and three patients, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 31 months (range 13-72 months), three patients are still alive. The predominant subtype was diagnosed in four patients, three of whom are alive at the time of writing, compared with the two patients in whom the focal subtype was diagnosed, both of whom are dead. Two of the living patients were treated with a bladder-preservation strategy. Our experiences suggest that RC may not be necessary in muscle invasive disease and that RT and chemotherapy may be reliable treatment options. The pathology report may be useful in selecting patients suitable for bladder-preservation treatment.

Polycythemia Vera in a Patient With Heterozygous Beta-Thalassemia: Coincidence or Causal Relationship?

Polycythemia vera (PV) and heterozygous beta-thalassemia (HBT) have opposing effects on the hematocrit (Hct) and may mask the presence of each other. Missing the diagnosis of PV may have serious consequences, mainly by exposing the patient to the risk of thromboses. We present a case where the diagnosis of PV was delayed due to the coexistence of HBT, and review the relevant literature. It can be postulated that "stress erythropoiesis", known to occur in patients with thalassemic syndromes, increases the probability of somatic JAK2 mutations leading to development of PV.