G. Nicolis

Mycosis fungoides with oral manifestations

Abstract Involvement of the oral mucosa by mycosis fungoides occurs on rare occasions. The stomatologic findings are characterized by the presence of an extensive erythematous and edematous eruption which later becomes indurated and ulcerated in some areas. The histologic picture is identical with that of the skin lesion.

Oral submucous fibrosis in a Greek female

Submucous fibrosis of the oral cavity is a disease affecting almost exclusively the Indian race, although sporadic cases have been described in non-Indians. Its aetiology is unknown and dietary factors have been incriminated in its pathogenesis, such as chilli ingestion. In this paper we present a case of oral submucous fibrosis in a 67-year-old Greek female, who two years after initial diagnosis developed squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. The clinical course and histological findings are described and the potential of this disease as a predisposing factor for the development of malignancies of the oral mucosa is discussed.

Association of oral pemphigus with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Pemphigus is a bullous autoimmune disease of the skin and mucosae. Recently pemphigus has been associated with malignant disorders originating from several tissues. Two cases of oral pemphigus associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia are reported. Direct immunofluorescence studies of oral biopsy material showed a pattern consistent with pemphigus in both cases. The nature of the anti-ICS antibodies was IgG. However, in one case anti-ICS antibodies were detected in the serum while in the other anti-striated-muscle autoantibodies were present. The clinical course and interrelationship of the two disorders are discussed.

Antigenic alterations in tumors of epidermal origin

One hundred tumors of epidermal origin were studied by means of indirect immunofluorescence technique with sera from patients with proven pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid. We found that in tumors of epidermal origin, there was a loss of antigenicity of the intercellular substance and basement membrane; this was minimal for benign tumors, greater for premalignant tumors, and very clear for malignant tumors. We also found a gross correlation between the histologically proven malignancy of squamous cell carcinoma and the grade of antigenic loss; both for the intercellular substance and for the basement membrane antigens. However, this did not yield definite results in the group with basal cell carcinoma. With regard, especially, to the intercellular substance antigen, it seemed to be completely independent of histologic type of basal cell carcinoma. We found that the duration of the epidermal tumor did not correlate with the percentage of intercellular substance and basement membrane antigenic loss. This suggested that the antigenic loss was an early feature of neoplastic behavior. The deeper parts of the malignant tumors in the dermis showed a lower percentage of antigenicity for both antigens.

Lichen planus pigmentosus of the Oral Mucosa: A Rare Clinical Variety

In this paper, we describe a case of lichen planus of the mouth with intense melanosis, in a middle-aged white male. Due to its unusual clinical characteristics, we believe that this case represents a rare variant of lichen planus of the oral mucosa. The histopathologic findings, differential diagnosis and its possible connection with lichen planus pigmentosus of the skin are discussed.

Nuchal nevus flammeus as a skin marker of prognosis in alopecia areata.

In this work, the incidence of nuchal nevus flammeus was studied in 205 patients suffering from various forms of alopecia areata, as well as in a group of 555 volunteers without alopecia areata examined in our outpatient clinic. The incidence of nuchal nevus flammeus in the totalis-universalis form of alopecia areata was 58.2% (examined patients, n = 79), in ophiasis-extensive forms 22.8% (examined patients, n = 70) and in simple forms of alopecia areata 3.6% (examined patients, n = 56). In the group of 555 volunteers without alopecia areata the incidence of nuchal nevus flammeus was 4.5%. Our results show that nuchal nevus flammeus could be a valuable skin marker indicating a more severe course of alopecia areata.

Keratosis follicularis and Familial Benign Chronic Pemphigus in the Same Patient

A case is described with features both of Hailey-Hailey and Dariers disease in a male patient who presented skin lesions since he was 8 years old. The present case is discussed in relation to data obtained from the literature, and a differential diagnosis from Grovers disease is made.

The Dermal Cellular Infiltrate and Cell-Mediated Immunity in Skin Carcinomas

The cell-mediated immunity in nonmelanotic skin cancer was studied in 115 patients. The diagnosis and type of skin cancer was histologically evaluated. The T cell levels and leukocyte migration test in preoperative patients with squamous cell skin carcinoma (SCSC) and metatypical basal cell epithelioma were significantly lower than in the noncancer control population. The immunocompetence was not impaired in patients with basal cell epithelioma (BCE) and even in those with BCE that showed deep invasiveness and paucity of lymphocytic infiltration. There was a direct correlation between cell-mediated immunity and the lymphocytic infiltration and differentiation of the cells in SCSC.

Lupus vulgaris of the Oral Mucosa

4 cases of lupus vulgaris of the oral mucosa were found to be associated with asymptomatic pulmonary tuberculosis. The patients presented with single or multiple ulcerations of the mouth with an irreg

Ichthyosis hystrix of ‘Porcupine Man’ Type

Ichthyosis hystrix is a term used to describe an ichthyosiform dermatosis in which formation of hyperkeratotic, verrucose excrescences is a prominent clinical feature. This paper deals with an interesting case of ichthyosis hystrix associated with a negative family history and two squamous cell epitheliomas.