Spindle Cell Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lower Extremities; Case Report / 대한피부과학회지

Spindle cell squamous cell carcinoma (SCSCC) is relatively uncommon, but may be encountered. It poses a challenge in the differential diagnosis in that it includes other spindle cell neoplasms. An 81-year-old female with a raised and exophytic plaque with central ulceration surrounding erythematous patches of the left lower extremities, which was gradually and very slowly increasing in size was admitted to our hospital. After resection, conventional histopathological investigation showed spindle-shaped cells showing hyperchromatic nuclei and mitosis, infiltrating the dermis in a storiform pattern. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that SCSCC was positive for cytokeratins (AE1/AE3, CAM 5.2, 34betaE12) and mesenchymal markers (vimentin, SMA), but was negative for p63, CD34, CD68, melan A and S-100.

Photodynamic Therapy with Methyl 5-aminolevulinic Acid for Treatment of Toenail Onychomycosis: the Efficacy and Safety / 대한의진균학회지

BACKGROUND: The major limitations of the current therapeutic treatments for onychomycosis are the recurrence of the infection and the duration of the treatment. Recently, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is thought to be a novel alternative method for treatment of onychomycosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of PDT with methyl 5-aminolevulinic acid (MAL) for the treatment of onychomycosis. METHODS: We performed MAL-PDT in eight patients with distal subungual onychomycosis on at least one great toenail. After the total three treatments, we observed the clinical and mycological courses for twelve months. RESULTS: For the twelve months of follow-up period, three patients (37.5%) showed continuous clinical improvement, two patients (25%) aggravation after transient improvement, and the rest, three patients (37.5%) resistance to treatment. All subjects complained of quite severe burning pain during irradiation of light source. CONCLUSION: In this study, we observed the highly variable clinical and mycological results of PDT in onychomycosis. We concluded that it is too difficult to consistently achieve the best fungicidal effect by PDT without strictly selected conditions.

A Case of Pigmented Fibroepithelioma of Pinkus: Report and Review of the Literature / 대한피부과학회지

Fibroepithelioma of Pinkus is generally accepted as a low-risk variant of basal cell carcinoma. A 66-year-old man was presented with a solitary dark red nodule with superficial erosion on his right groin. It tended to bleed, but was otherwise asymptomatic. Histopathologically, the tumor was composed of long, thin, branching and anastomosing strands of basaloid cells, which extends from the epidermis into the fibromucinous stroma. Basaloid tumor cells were palisaded at the periphery of the strands, and small buds were seen projecting from the epithelial strands. Significant amounts of melanin pigment were deposited in the papillary and reticular dermis, and the stroma between the tumor cords and also inside the tumor cells. The lesion was completely excised with clear margin. We report a case of pigmented fibroepithelioma of Pinkus with review of the literature in this communication.

Herpes Zoster Duplex Symmetricus in a Healthy Patient / 대한피부과학회지

Herpes zoster duplex, particularly herpes zoster duplex symmetricus, is a very rare manifestation of herpes zoster that occurs in immunocompetent patients. A 23-year-old Korean man presented with grouped erythematous, ruptured, crusted vesicles on plaques and papules on his forehead and both temporal areas. He had unexplained pain around the cutaneous lesions for the past 2 weeks, and the vesicles developed 1 week ago. A Tzanck smear test of the skin lesion showed multinucleated giant cells. A punch biopsy taken from the vesicle on the forehead revealed an intraepidermal vesicle with acantholysis and balloon cells at the floor of the vesicle. He was diagnosed with herpes zoster involving bilateral dermatomes.

Malignant Syphilis in an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Patient / 대한피부과학회지

Malignant syphilis (also known as lues maligna) is a rare dermatologic manifestation of syphilis and this is more commonly seen in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A 40-year-old man presented with general malaise and widespread cutaneous noduloulcerative lesions covered with lamellar crusts for 15 days. He had been diagnosed with HIV infection 6 years earlier, but had not regularly taken antiretroviral drugs. The syphilis serology showed a VDRL (venereal disease research laboratory) titer of 1 : 256 and a positive TPPA (treponema pallidum particle agglutination test) at presentation. Histologic exam showed the dense perivascular inflammatory infiltrates composed of lymphocytes, histiocysts and neurophils with some plasma cells in the underlying upper and reticular dermis. Obliterated blood vessels with eosinophilic materials were observed as an unusual histologic feature of syphilis. Based on the clinical, histological and serological findings, a diagnosis of malignant syphilis accompanied by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was made. The patient was treated with intramuscular benzathine penicillin G at 2.4 million units per week for 3 weeks, and the skin lesions completely healed with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It is necessary to take into account this entity among the possible diagnoses in HIV-infected patients with cutaneous noduloulcerative lesions.

Confluent and Reticulated Papillomatosis without Papillomatosis / 대한피부과학회지

Confluent and reticulated papillomatosis (CRP) was first described as a relatively rare dermatosis. CRP is characterized by slightly hyperkeratotic pigmented papules that are confluent in the center and reticulated at the periphery, located on the neck, abdomen, intermammary, and interscapular regions. Histopathologically, lesions typically reveal orthohyperkeratosis, papillomatosis, and focal acanthosis. A 20-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of slightly pruritic lesions on the chest, abdomen, back, and upper extremities. The lesions were brownish papules and plaques in a reticulated and coalescing pattern. Histologically, a basket-weave pattern of orthohyperkeratosis and mild acanthosis were seen. However, there was no significant papillomatosis, even in multiple sections. Periodic acid Schiff stain was negative for fungi. The patient was treated with doxycycline, 200 mg daily, for 4 weeks. The lesions completely resolved and did not recur during 12 months of follow-up. We report a rare case of CRP without papillomatosis.

A Case of Accessory Tragus on the Nasal Vestibule

We present a case of accessory tragus (AT) which developed at an unusual site, the nasal vestibule, of a 1-day-old girl. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an accessory tragus that appears on the nasal vestibule.

A Case of Trichilemmoma on the Right Shoulder / 대한피부과학회지

Trichilemmoma is a benign, solitary, small tumor that might often be misdiagnosed as a basal cell carcinoma or verruca. It is usually seen on the face, and especially on the nose and cheeks. A 79-year-old Korean man presented with a 2.0x2.0 cm-sized nodular mass on his right shoulder and the lesion was histopathologically diagnosed as a trichilemmoma. The atypical clinical appearance and localization of his neoplasm did not help us diagnose the lesion, and the histological findings were the only clues for making the diagnosis of trichilemmoma.

Evaluation of the Quality of Life in the Patients with Chronic Urticaria / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Chronic urticaria (CU) is one of the most common skin disorders. This disease commonly induces emotional, social and psychological problems due to the erythematous lesion and intense pruritus. But there has been inadequate objective evaluation of the quality of life (QOL) of the patients with CU in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the QOL of the Korean patients with CU by means of a new disease-specific tool and to assess the association between the QOL and the severity of disease. METHODS: A total of 118 patients with CU were interviewed using the CU QOL questionnaire (CU-Q2oL). Their symptoms were evaluated with the urticaria severity score. We analyzed the relationship between the severity score and the CU-Q2oL score with Pearson's correlation test. RESULTS: The average score of the CU-Q2oL was 50.08+/-18.68. It was high when the patients had high severity scores (p<0.01). The severity score was increased in the patients with old age and when they were married. Comorbid systemic and skin diseases, a long duration of urticaria and systemic symptoms accompanying urticaria were also related to a high severity score. CONCLUSION: This study showed that CU has a significant impact on the QOL of Korean patients with CU in proportion to the disease severity. Clinicians need to consider the QOL and the CU severity of their patients to achieve the ideal goals of treatment.

A Case of Milia Occurring on Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Face / 대한피부과학회지

We report here on a 71-year-old female who had well-demarcated erythematous patches, along with some pearly papules, on the right cheek. Histopathological examination of the lesions revealed a basaloid cell mass, which appeared to be a superficial basal cell carcinoma, and a small keratin-filled cyst that appeared to be a milium. A part of the milium was surrounded by the basaloid cells of tumor islands and milia later developed on the lesion of basal cell carcinoma. We suggest that basal cell carcinoma may be one of the causes of secondary milia.