scholarly journals Basosquamous Carcinoma: A Commentary

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 6146
Author(s):  
Christina Fotiadou ◽  
Zoe Apalla ◽  
Elizabeth Lazaridou

Basosquamous carcinoma is a rare, aggressive non-melanoma skin cancer with features that lie between those of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. A lot of controversy has been raised around the classification, pathogenesis, histologic morphology, biologic behavior, prognosis and management of this tumor. This is a narrative review based on an electronic search of articles published in PubMed in English language which had in their title the terms “basosquamous carcinoma” and/or “metatypical carcinoma of the skin”. The aim of this review was to summarize and evaluate current data regarding epidemiology, clinical presentation, dermoscopic and histopathologic characteristics, as well as the genetics and management of BSC, in order to shed some more light onto this intriguing entity. As a conclusion, dermoscopy, deep incisional biopsies and immunohistologic techniques (Ber-EP4) should be applied in clinically suspicious lesions in order to achieve an early diagnosis and better prognosis of this tumor. Surgical treatments, including wide excision and Mohs’ micrographic surgery, remain the treatment of choice. Finally, vismodegib, a Hedgehog pathway inhibitor, must be thoroughly investigated, with large controlled trials, since it may offer an alternative solution to irresectable or difficult-to-treat, locally advanced cases of basosquamous carcinoma.

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 2205-2215 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL S. KRATHEN ◽  
ALICE B. GOTTLIEB ◽  
PHILIP J. MEASE

Objective.It is unclear if skin cancer risk is affected by the use of immunomodulatory medications in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The purpose of this study is to evaluate and summarize the available data pertinent to this question.Methods.The English language literature on PubMed was searched with a combination of phrases, including “malignancy,” “skin cancer,” “squamous cell carcinoma,” “basal cell carcinoma,” “melanoma,” “psoriasis,” “psoriatic arthritis,” and “rheumatoid arthritis” in addition to the generic names of a variety of common immunomodulatory drugs. Relevant articles were identified and data were extracted.Results.In total, 2218 potentially relevant articles were identified through the search process. After further screening, 20 articles relevant to RA were included. An additional 19 articles relevant to either psoriasis or PsA were included as well. RA may be a risk factor for the development of cutaneous malignancy. Treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors increases the rates of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in RA and psoriasis. This risk doubles when combination methotrexate therapy is used in RA. Methotrexate may increase the risk of malignant melanoma in patients with RA and the risk of NMSC in psoriasis. Cyclosporine and prior phototherapy significantly increase the risk of NMSC.Conclusion.RA may potentiate the risk of cutaneous malignancy and therefore dermatologic screening in this population should be considered. The use of immunomodulatory therapy in RA, psoriasis, and PsA may further increase the risk of cutaneous malignancy and therefore dermatologic screening examinations are warranted in these groups. More careful recording of skin cancer development during clinical trials and cohort studies is necessary to further delineate the risks of immunomodulatory therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Zelin ◽  
Iris Zalaudek ◽  
Marina Agozzino ◽  
Caterina Dianzani ◽  
Arianna Dri ◽  
...  

Opinion statementRecently introduced systemic therapies for locally advanced and metastatic non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are paving the way for neoadjuvant approach. Although none of the therapeutic options has currently gained indication in this setting, neoadjuvant approach for NMSCs is an open field and we are likely to see huge developments in the near future. Targeted therapy with sonic hedgehog pathway inhibitors is very effective in locally advanced or multiple basal cell carcinomas while immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors appears to be promising for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. To date, targeted therapy and immunotherapy represent the frontiers in NMSC therapeutic management and, according to recent studies, good results can be achieved.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Surmanowicz ◽  
Arunima Sivanand ◽  
Amy X. Du ◽  
Muhammad N. Mahmood ◽  
Robert Gniadecki

Background: Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is the gold standard treatment for high-risk facial non-melanoma skin cancer. However, patients' access to MMS is limited by cost. The muffin technique micrographic surgery (MTMS) is an alternative micrographic technique wherein the entire excised margin is evaluated post-operatively by a pathologist using paraffin-embedded material. Herein, we describe the implementation and the preliminary results of MTMS in an academic dermatology center.Objective: To describe the MTMS and outline its efficacy and safety in a real-world clinical academic setting.Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) who underwent MTMS at the University of Alberta Dermatology Center from June 2016 until July 2019.Results: A total of 69 patients were included (64 BCCs and 5 SCCs). 68.1% of surgeries had clear margins following the first incision, 100% after second round re-excisions. There were no observed cases of tumor recurrence after a median 40 months of follow-up. There were no major adverse events or complications.Conclusions: MTMS is a superior alternative to simple excision of skin cancer by providing full margin control and residual tumor mapping.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 3402-3404
Author(s):  
Hina , Manzoor ◽  
Najeeb Ahmad ◽  
Zafar H Tanveer ◽  
Khush Naseed Ahmed ◽  
Munir , Ahmed ◽  
...  

Background: Skin cancer is a broad term that refers to a variety of different types of cancer. It is usually recognized as non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer. In many parts of the world, the prevalence is high, with significant ecological and ethical variation. Objectives: Objective was to determine demographic and histological features of skin cancer in Southwest region of Pakistan. Methodology: This retrospective study was carried out on skin cancer 1169 cases of Centre for Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy (CENAR) in Quetta. The data from January 2000 to December 2009 (10Years) was retrieved from record. The aim was to determine the importance of skin cancer in this area, its gender wise distribution and its pathological types. Results: Record of total 9308 cancer patients was retrieved from patients presenting to CENAR Quetta. From 9308 case, 1169(12.5%) patients were of skin cancer which was second most prevalent category of cancer in this area. Prevalence was higher in males with 713(61%) cases as compared to females. Pathologically with 634(54%) cases, the most prevalent category was Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Conclusion: Skin cancer is wide-spread type of cancer in patients of south-west region of Pakistan. The findings of this study are not aligned with published data. The difference is because of high altitude of the study area, dry climate and long skin exposure particularly in low socio-economic field workers. Keywords: Skin cancer, gender, Melanoma skin cancer (MSC), Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), Basal cell carcinoma (BCC),


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Wargo ◽  
Kenneth Tenabe

The prevalence of malignant skin cancers has increased significantly over the past several years. Approximately 1.2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed per year. More alarming, up to 80,000 cases of melanoma are diagnosed per year, an incidence that has been steadily increasing, with a lifetime risk of 1 in 50 for the development of melanoma. The disturbing increase in the incidence of both non-melanoma skin cancer and melanoma can largely be attributed to the social attitude toward sun exposure. The clinical assessment and management of skin lesions can be challenging. This review describes the assessment process, including thorough history and examination; the need for possible biopsy; and excision criteria. Specific types of skin cancer are distinguished and include basal cell carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma; and melanoma; and for each type the incidence; epidemiology; histologic subtypes; diagnosis; and both surgical and non-surgical treatments are provided. Stages I-IV of melanoma are detailed, with prognostic factors described. Surgical treatment for stages I and II include description of the margins of excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy. The surgical treatment of Stage III melanoma further includes therapeutic lymph node dissection and isolated limb perfusion. Adjuvant therapies are also presented and include radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The additional treatment of metastasectomy for Stage IV melanoma is described. For both Stage III and IV melanoma, the study of vaccines to host immune cells is reported. For Stage IV melanoma, the text also describes immunotherapy treatment. Operative procedures specific to superficial and deep groin dissections are outlined. This review contains 9 figures, 3 tables, and 96 references.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 2868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taxiarchis Konstantinos Nikolouzakis ◽  
Luca Falzone ◽  
Konstantinos Lasithiotakis ◽  
Sabine Krüger-Krasagakis ◽  
Alexandra Kalogeraki ◽  
...  

Skin cancer represents the most common type of cancer among Caucasians and presents in two main forms: melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). NMSC is an umbrella term, under which basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) are found along with the pre-neoplastic lesions, Bowen disease (BD) and actinic keratosis (AK). Due to the mild nature of the majority of NMSC cases, research regarding their biology has attracted much less attention. Nonetheless, NMSC can bear unfavorable characteristics for the patient, such as invasiveness, local recurrence and distant metastases. In addition, late diagnosis is relatively common for a number of cases of NMSC due to the inability to recognize such cases. Recognizing the need for clinically and economically efficient modes of diagnosis, staging, and prognosis, the present review discusses the main etiological and pathological features of NMSC as well as the new and promising molecular biomarkers available including telomere length (TL), telomerase activity (TA), CpG island methylation (CIM), histone methylation and acetylation, microRNAs (miRNAs), and micronuclei frequency (MNf). The evaluation of all these aspects is important for the correct management of NMSC; therefore, the current review aims to assist future studies interested in exploring the diagnostic and prognostic potential of molecular biomarkers for these entities.


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