V. del Marmol

Epidemiology of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in Europe: Accurate and comparable data are needed for effective public health monitoring and interventions

Summary Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common malignancy occurring in white populations. It is currently becoming an important challenge in terms of public health management as the increasing incidence rates will probably have a tremendous impact on healthcare costs. Possible factors driving this rise in NMSC numbers are increases in both acute and prolonged UV exposure together with increasing numbers of older people in the population. A better understanding of NMSC epidemiology in Europe is essential if an evidence‐based European‐wide public health policy is to be developed. It is obvious this can only be achieved by recording and analysing comparative epidemiological data. Finally, by improving the skin examination training for physicians, developing guidelines and exchanging best practices, a high level of healthcare could be provided for NMSC.

Melanoma incidence and mortality in Europe: New estimates, persistent disparities

Background  Melanoma incidence and mortality in Europe are high but there are significant gaps in the epidemiological information available across the continent.

Melanoma in organ transplant recipients: clinicopathological features and outcome in 100 cases.

Organ transplant recipients have a higher incidence of melanoma compared to the general population but the prognosis of this potentially fatal skin cancer in this group of patients has not yet been established. To address this, we undertook a multicenter retrospective analysis to assess outcome for 100 melanomas (91 posttransplant and 9 pretransplant) in 95 individuals. Data were collected in 14 specialist transplant dermatology clinics across Europe belonging to the Skin Care in Organ Transplant Patients, Europe (SCOPE) Network, and compared with age, sex, tumor thickness and ulceration status‐matched controls from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) melanoma database. Outcome for posttransplant melanoma was similar to that of the general population for T1 and T2 tumors (≤2 mm thickness); but was significantly worse for T3 and T4 tumors (>2 mm thickness); all nine individuals with a pretransplant melanoma survived without disease recurrence following organ transplantation. These data have implications for both cutaneous surveillance in organ transplant recipients and management of transplant‐associated melanoma.

Imaging of basal cell carcinoma by high-definition optical coherence tomography: histomorphological correlation. A pilot study

Summary Background  With the continued development of noninvasive therapies for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) such as photodynamic therapy and immune therapies, noninvasive diagnosis and monitoring become increasingly relevant. High‐definition optical coherence tomography (HD‐OCT) is a high‐resolution imaging tool, with micrometre resolution in both transversal and axial directions, enabling visualization of individual cells up to a depth of around 570 μm, and filling the imaging gap between conventional optical coherence tomography (OCT) and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM).

TRP-1 expression correlates with eumelanogenesis in human pigment cells in culture

We have investigated the relationship in human cultured normal and malignant melanocytes between the accumulation of mRNAs encoding tyrosinase and tyrosinase‐related protein‐1 (TRP‐1), the activity of tyrosinase and the presence of melanin. Tyrosinase mRNA correlates with tyrosinase activity and with the presence of pheomelanin, eumelanin or both melanin types. In contrast TRP‐1 mRNA is only detectable in cells containing eumelanin, which suggests a role for TRP‐1 in the eumelanin synthesis pathway.

The Euromelanoma skin cancer prevention campaign in Europe: Characteristics and results of 2009 and 2010

Background  Euromelanoma is a skin cancer education and prevention campaign that started in 1999 in Belgium as ‘Melanoma day’. Since 2000, it is active in a large and growing number of European countries under the name Euromelanoma.

High-definition optical coherence tomography imaging of melanocytic lesions: a pilot study

High-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) is a non-invasive in vivo imaging technique with cellular resolution based on the principle of conventional optical coherence tomography. The objective of this study was to evaluate HD-OCT for its ability to identify architectural patterns and cytologic features of melanocytic lesions. All lesions were examined by one observer clinically and using dermoscopy. Cross-sectional HD-OCT images were compared with histopathology. En face HD-OCT images were compared with reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). Twenty-six melanocytic lesions of 26 patients were imaged. Identification of architectural patterns in cross-sectional mode and cytologic features of pigmented cells in the epidermis, dermo-epidermal junction, papillary dermis, and superficial reticular dermis in the en face mode was possible by HD-OCT. HD-OCT provides morphological imaging with sufficient resolution and penetration depth to discriminate architectural patterns and cytologic features of pigmented cells in epidermis and dermis. The method appears to offer the possibility of additional three-dimensional structural information complementary to that of RCM, albeit at a slightly lower lateral resolution. The diagnostic potential of HD-OCT regarding malignant melanoma is not high enough for ruling out a diagnosis of malignant melanoma.

Euromelanoma: A dermatology-led European campaign against nonmelanoma skin cancer and cutaneous melanoma. Past, present and future

Euromelanoma is a dermatologist‐led skin cancer prevention programme conducting an annual screening and public education campaign in over 20 European countries. Within its 10‐year history, Euromelanoma has screened over 260 000 individuals across Europe, detecting a significant number of cutaneous melanomas and nonmelanoma skin cancers, identifying high‐risk individuals for further surveillance and promoting awareness on the suspicious features of melanoma and the hazardous effects of ultraviolet exposure. In this review article, we summarize the history of the Euromelanoma campaign, present its organizational structure and discuss the results of the campaign in individual countries and on a European scale. Euromelanoma has had a significant impact on melanoma prevention and early diagnosis in participating countries and, despite many challenges, has positively influenced public health attitudes towards regular mole examination and the implementation of preventive measures against skin cancer.

Recurrent leishmaniasis in kidney transplant recipients: report of 2 cases and systematic review of the literature

I. Simon, K.M. Wissing, V. Del Marmol, S. Antinori, M. Remmelink, E. Nilufer Broeders, J.L. Nortier, M. Corbellino, D. Abramowicz, A. Cascio. Recurrent leishmaniasis in kidney transplant recipients: report of 2 cases and systematic review of the literature.
Transpl Infect Dis 2011: 13: 397–406. All rights reserved

Primary Cutaneous Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: A Multicenter European Case Series

Primary cutaneous posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are rare. This retrospective, multicenter study of 35 cases aimed to better describe this entity. Cases were (re)‐classified according to the WHO‐EORTC or the WHO 2008 classifications of lymphomas. Median interval between first transplantation and diagnosis was 85 months. Fifty‐seven percent of patients had a kidney transplant. Twenty‐four cases (68.6%) were classified as primary cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) and 11 (31.4%) as primary cutaneous B cell PTLD. Mycosis fungoides (MF) was the most common (50%) CTCL subtype. Ten (90.9%) cutaneous B cell PTLD cases were classified as EBV‐associated B cell lymphoproliferations (including one plasmablastic lymphoma and one lymphomatoid granulomatosis) and one as diffuse large B cell lymphoma, other, that was EBV‐negative. Sixteen (45.7%) patients died after a median follow‐up of 19.5 months (11 [68.8%] with CTCL [6 of whom had CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD)] and 5 [31.2%] with cutaneous B cell PTLD. Median survival times for all patients, CTCL and cutaneous B cell PTLD subgroups were 93, 93, and 112 months, respectively. Survival rates for MF were higher than those for CD30+ LPD. The spectrum of primary CTCL in organ transplant recipients (OTR) is similar to that in the general population. The prognosis of posttransplant primary cutaneous CD30+ LPD is worse than posttransplant MF and than its counterpart in the immunocompetent population. EBV‐associated cutaneous B cell LPD predominates in OTR.