Bruce R. Smoller

Childhood Melanoma: How Will We Ever Know?

The histologic distinction between Spitz nevus and childhood melanoma can be difficult to discern. These investigators evaluated the interrater

Diagnosing Myxoid Melanoma

The diagnosis of malignant melanoma is especially difficult to make when neither clinical nor histologic features are characteristic. These authors

A Clone Is a Clone Is a Clone

The clinical significance of a clonal proliferation of T lymphocytes in the skin has gradually become less certain. At first, the laboratory data were

Of Mucin, Lymphocytes, and Hair Follicles

The association between folliculotropic lymphomas and follicular mucinosis is not yet understood. Two groups of investigators report their attempts to

Caffeine: More Than a Wake-up?

Researchers at Rutgers University conducted an animal study to evaluate topical caffeines ability to prevent the formation of cutaneous malignancies after high UV light exposure. Hairless laboratory mice were exposed to high levels of UVB radiation (30 mJ/cm2) twice daily for 20 days, producing a …

Beware of the Clones

Recent technologic advances have enabled pathologists to evaluate dense dermal lymphoid infiltrates for the presence of cell clones, which are believed

Psoriasis and the Risk for Internal Malignancy: Is It Real?

Psoriasis is associated with increased risk for melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. The risk for noncutaneous malignancies in patients with psoriasis remains unknown. These authors reviewed the Swedish National Cancer Registry and death records for almost 10,000 patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of psoriasis over an 18-year period. The incidences of various neoplasms in these patients were compared …

Ofuji Disease: Clinical and Pathologic Features and a Proposed Treatment

Ofuji disease, also know as eosinophilic pustular folliculitis, is an uncommon inflammatory process that shares histologic similarities with the eosinophilic folliculitis associated with HIV infection. However, Ofuji disease is not linked to HIV or other immunocompromised conditions; it is most common in young Japanese adults. The authors of this study reviewed the clinical …

Increased Risk for Merkel Cell Carcinoma in Patients with AIDS

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, possibly UV-induced, skin carcinoma that accounts for less than 1% of cancerous skin tumors. It arises primarily

How Reliable Is That Pathology Report

Dermatologists and other healthcare providers must use pathologic results from skin biopsies to make therapeutic decisions, especially about