Treatment of moderate and severe adult chronic atopic dermatitis with narrow-band UVB and the combination of narrow-band UVB/UVA phototherapy.

The phototherapy is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of adult patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). The treatment of chronic forms of the disease is most often done with narrow-band UVB (NB-UVB). There also exist effective phototherapy options against the AD. The aim of this study was to asses if the combination of NB-UVB with UVA was more effective than the treatment with only NB-UVB against adult chronic AD. We carried out a prospective and observational study. Adult patients with chronic AD with more than 50% of the total body surface area affected (TBSA) were included. The affected TBSA was calculated using the so-called "rule of nines." Patients with a clearance rate >75% of the initial affected TBSA or complete clearance rate were considered as complete response (CR). An analogue scale from 0 to 10 was used to measure the improvement grade of the pruritus. The treatments were repeated three times a week. The initial doses of NB-UVB and UVA were determined by patient's phototype. The treatments were performed using a phototherapy booth (UV7002, Walmann, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany(®) ) with TL01 and UVA fluorescent lamps. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS(®) (IBM, New York, NY) for Windows 21.0. A total of 26 patients with adult chronic AD were included in the study, 16 patients were treated with UVB-BE and 10 patients with the combined treatment option NB-UVB/UVA. The mean value of cumulative doses and the mean number of performed treatments were similar between both groups of patients (p > 0.05). The mean value of duration of response was significantly higher in the patients treated only with NB-UVB, 101 versus 6.8 months (p ≥ 0.05). No differences were observed for the patients that showed complete response (p = 0.42) and in the analogue scale of pruritus (p > 0.005). In our study, the patients treated with the combination of NB-UVB and UVA were similar to the patient that were only treated with NB-UVB e. Further prospective and controlled studies have to be performed in order to determine the dosing regimens of phototherapy in adult patients with AD.

Phototherapy with Narrow-Band UVB in Adult Guttate Psoriasis: Results and Patient Assessment.

BACKGROUND: Acute guttate psoriasis (AGP) is a distinctive clinical entity with good response to treatment with narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the results of NB-UVB phototherapy in adult patients with adult guttate psoriasis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We carried out a prospective, open, and observational study. Patients over 18 years with more than 5% of body surface area affected were included. The PASI was assessed prior to and after treatment. The follow-up period was 18 months. After treatment, patients completed a simple questionnaire to assess their overall impression of the treatment. RESULTS: The 67 adult patients with AGP included in this study had an initial PASI of 8.55 (SD 5.03). Patients were treated with a mean of 19.9 sessions (SD 13.5) and mean doses of 14 mJ/cm2 (SD 10.5). Of the 67 patients, 52 achieved PASI90 with 96.15% of PASI reduction, and of these, 46 (88%) maintained PASI90 during the 18 months of follow-up. Patients were very satisfied with the treatment. DISCUSSION: AGP is a defined clinical entity with a variable course. Phototherapy with NB-UVB appears to be a very good option for treatment of AGP because of the good results obtained and patient satisfaction.

State of the art of Mohs surgery for rare cutaneous tumors in the Spanish Registry of Mohs Surgery (REGESMOHS).

BACKGROUND: The use of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) for rare cutaneous tumors is poorly defined. We aim to describe the demographics, tumor presentation and topography, surgery characteristics and complications of MMS for rare cutaneous tumors in a national registry. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of patients treated with MMS in Spain between July 2013 and June 2018. The inclusion criteria were patients with cutaneous tumors with final diagnosis different from basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, or any kind of melanoma. RESULTS: Five thousand and ninety patients were recorded in the registry, from which only 73 tumors (1.4%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria: atypical fibroxanthoma (18), microcystic adnexal carcinoma (10), extramammary Paget's disease (7), Merkel cell carcinoma (5), dermatofibroma (4), trichilemmal carcinoma (4), desmoplastic trichoepithelioma (4), sebaceous carcinoma (3), leiomyosarcoma (2), porocarcinoma (2), angiosarcoma (2), trichoblastoma (1), superficial acral fibromyxoma (1), and others (10). No intra-surgery morbidity was registered. Postsurgery complications appeared in six patients (9%) and were considered mild. Median follow-up time was 0.9 years during which three Merkel cell carcinomas, one angiosarcoma, one microcystic adnexal carcinoma, and four others recurred (12.3%). CONCLUSION: This national registry shows that rare cutaneous tumors represent a negligible part of the total MMS performed in our country with a low complication rate.

Differences of Mohs micrographic surgery in basal cell carcinoma versus squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The two main tumors treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). There are no studies analyzing whether MMS is different when treating these two types of tumors. OBJECTIVE: We aim to compare the characteristics of the patients, the tumors, and MMS, and first-year follow-up of MMS in BCC and SCC. METHODS: REGESMOHS is a prospective cohort study of patients treated with MMS. The participating centers are 19 Spanish hospitals where at least one MMS is performed per week. Data on characteristics of the patients, tumors, and surgery were recorded. The follow-up was done with two visits: the first visit within 1 month after surgery and the second one within the first year. RESULTS: From July 2013 to April 2017, a total of 2,669 patients who underwent MMS were included in the registry. Of them, 2,448 (93%) were diagnosed with BCC, and 181 (7%) were diagnosed with SCC. Patients with SCC were older than those with BCC (median age 73 years vs. 68 years) and presented immunosuppression more frequently. The tumor size was significantly larger in the SCC group. Regarding surgery, deeper invasion was more frequent in SCC, resulting in larger defects. Despite this, SCC did not require more stages to get clear margins or more time in the operating room. Incomplete Mohs was more frequent in the SCC group (6%) than in the BCC group (2%). The incidence of perioperative complications was higher when treating SCC. There were more relapses in the first-year follow-up in the SCC group. CONCLUSION: There are significant differences when comparing MMS in BCC and SCC. Knowledge of these differences can help to prepare the patient and plan the surgery, optimizing results.

Sensitization to acrylates in varnishes.

Varnishes are liquid products that solidify when exposed to air. They are used to cover, protect, and embellish surfaces. Varnishes contain agglutinants and volatile solvents. The main agglutinants are epoxy resins and acrylates, and these acrylates are the substances that produce sensitization most of the time. We explain the use and handling of these varnishes and present four cases of occupational sensitization to acrylic resins present in wood varnishes used by four workers.