Melanoma Registry of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (REGESMEL): Description and Data in its First Year of Operation. / Registro de Melanoma de la Academia Española de Dermatología y Venereología (REGESMEL): descripción y datos en el primer año de funcionamiento.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of melanoma is rising in Spain. The prognostic stages of patients with melanoma are determined by various biological factors, such as tumor thickness, ulceration, or the presence of regional or distant metastases. The Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) has encouraged the creation of a Spanish Melanoma Registry (REGESMEL) to evaluate other individual and health system-related factors that may impact the prognosis of patients with melanoma. The aim of this article is to introduce REGESMEL and provide basic descriptive data for its first year of operation. METHODS: REGESMEL is a prospective, multicentre cohort of consecutive patients with invasive cutaneous melanoma that collects demographic and staging data as well as individual and healthcare-related baseline data. It also records the medical and surgical treatment received by patients. RESULTS: A total of 450 cases of invasive cutaneous melanoma from 19 participant centres were included, with a predominance of thin melanomas≤1mm thick (54.7%), mainly located on the posterior trunk (35.2%). Selective sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed in 40.7% of cases. Most cases of melanoma were suspected by the patient (30.4%), or his/her dermatologist (29.6%). Patients received care mainly in public health centers (85.2%), with tele-dermatology resources being used in 21.6% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of the pathological and demographic variables of melanoma cases is consistent with data from former studies. REGESMEL has already recruited patients from 15 Spanish provinces and given its potential representativeness, it renders the Registry as an important tool to address a wide range of research questions.

Latanoprost in the treatment of eyelash alopecia in alopecia areata universalis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of latanoprost in eyelash alopecia areata (AA). DESIGN: This study is a 2-year prospective, non-blinded, non-randomized, bilateral eyelash alopecia controlled study. SETTING: The setting of this study was Trichology Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain. PATIENTS: We conducted a survey of 54 subjects with AA universalis treated with the protocol of the Trichology Unit of our Department. Control group comprised 10 subjects who received injections of 0.5 mg/cm(2) of triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) in their eyebrows and 1 mg/cm(2) of TAC injections in affected scalp. The treatment group included 44 subjects who received the same treatment as the control group in scalp and eyebrows but they also applied a drop of latanoprost 0.005% (50 microg/mL) ophthalmic solution in their eyelid margins every night. Subjects were reviewed every 3 months for 2 years. RESULTS: Forty subjects finished the study and four subjects were lost to follow-up. In the treatment arm of this study, the course was well tolerated and uncomplicated. Both investigators and patients evaluated the regrowth. The results we obtained were: complete regrowth in 17.5%, moderate regrowth in 27.5%, slight regrowth in 30% and without response in 25%. Moderate and total regrowth constituted a cosmetically acceptable response. The therapy was continuous and the response remained without any side effects. No patients had cosmetically acceptable eyelash regrowth in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Latanoprost may be an effective drug in the treatment of eyelash AA because it induces acceptable responses (total and moderate) in 45% of the patients. A formal, blinded prospective unilateral controlled study will permit further understanding about this promising therapeutic agent for eyelash AA.

[Narrow band UVB therapy in early stage mycosis fungoides. A study of 23 patients]. / Tratamiento con UVB de banda estrecha de los estadios iniciales de la micosis fungoide. Estudio de 23 pacientes.

INTRODUCTION: Phototherapy is effective for mycosis fungoides. Narrow band UVB (UVB1) therapy is being used as an alternative to PUVA therapy for its efficacy and less adverse events. The objective of the study was to determine the efficacy of narrow band UVB therapy in early stage mycosis fungoides. METHODS: It is a retrospective study of 23 patients with stage IB mycosis fungoides that have received UVB1 therapy following the phototherapy protocol of the Spanish Photobiology Group. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (57 %) had a complete response, eight patients (35 %) had a partial response and two patients (8 %) did not respond. Half of the patients with complete response (n = 6) relapsed after one year of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: We consider that UVB1 therapy is a good alternative for treatment of early stage mycosis fungoides, although the disease-free period is short.