ABSTRACT
Radiation-induced morphea in breast cancer patients who have been treated with radiotherapy is now a well-recognized clinical entity. It is characterized by marked sclerosis, erythema and pigmentary changes. We report a case of a 55-year-old woman who presented with erythematous indurated patches on the right shoulder and back area where radiation therapy had been given for breast cancer. Histopathologic examination revealed marked thickening of the dermis, consisting of sclerotic, densely aggregated collagen bundles.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Breast Neoplasms , Collagen , Dermis , Erythema , Radiotherapy , Scleroderma, Localized , Sclerosis , ShoulderABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There has been no general agreement on classifying basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and little is known about the squamous cell differentiations of each subtype of BCC. BCC is a locally-invasive tumor, but its aggressive forms tend to recur and metastasize. OBJECTIVE: We have compared the histolopathological subtypes of BCC by squamous differentiation, with special emphasis on basosquamous carcinoma and the difference between the non- aggressive and aggressive forms of BCC. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A total of 87 BCC specimens were collected from the 7 branch hospitals of The Catholic University of Korea from July 1997 to June 2003. RESULTS: 1. The 87 samples were divided into 6 subtypes: 18 nodular, 19 nodular infiltrative, 12 micronodular, 14 infiltrative, 11 morpheaform, 13 basosquamous. Overall, 18 samples were classified as non- aggressive and the remaining 69 as aggressive. 2.In nodular-infiltrative BCC and basosquamous carcinoma, squamous cell differentiation was significantly more prominent than in the nodular BCC. CONCLUSION: Squamous cell differentiation should be considered as one of the aggressive markers, especially in nodule-forming BCC.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Basal Cell , Carcinoma, Basosquamous , Cell Differentiation , Hospitals, Satellite , KoreaABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing disease with genetic and environmental background. Many factors may act as triggers and affect the course of the disease. However, little is known about the factors affecting the disease severities in Korean childhood AD. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to document the distinct characteristics of childhood AD in Korea and to determine which manifestations are prone to be present in the settings of different severity of the disease. METHOD: The clinical manifestations, past medical and family history, and inducing or aggravating factors were studied in patients, who participated in the open lectures for childhood AD patients in three provinces of Korea. The severity of the disease was evaluated using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) and the factors affecting the severity of the disease were determined. Skin prick tests with four allergens, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, milk, peanut and egg, were also carried out. RESULTS: Of the 93 patients, 38.7% had the disease onset between the age of three and six, while 17.2% had it between the age of seven and fifteen. Sixty-five percent of the patients had family members with a history of atopic diseases, such as AD, asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis. In order of frequency, the patients either had a history of or presently accompanying infantile eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma or allergic conjunctivitis. Among the patients, 27% took herbal medication. The most frequently involved site was the flexural area. The most common aggravating factors were sweating in hot environment, wool fabric and stress. When AD patients were categorized into mild, moderate and severe groups by EASI, the older onset age, the longer duration, facial distribution, history of taking herbal medication, cholinergic condition, wool fabric and stress were found to be significant factors influencing the severity of the disease. Skin prick test with the four major allergens revealed the highest prevalence in Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. CONCLUSION: The age of onset of AD was higher than that has been reported. Many suffered from infantile dermatitis and had other accompanying atopic diseases. Aggravating factors should be avoided to minimize the risk of disease aggravation. Based on the fact that late onset age, duration, facial distribution, history of taking herbal medication, cholinergic condition, wool and stress were the statistically significant factors, we may predict the severity or the course of the disease.
Subject(s)
Humans , Age of Onset , Allergens , Antigens, Dermatophagoides , Asthma , Conjunctivitis, Allergic , Dermatitis , Dermatitis, Atopic , Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus , Eczema , Korea , Lecture , Milk , Ovum , Prevalence , Rhinitis , Skin , Sweat , Sweating , WoolABSTRACT
Henna, which is called Mehndi in Indian, is a plant that is widely used as a natural dyeing agent all over the world. It was introduced to Korea several years ago, and is now popular amongyoung people as a hair-dyeing agent and for temporary tattooing. The leaf of Henna contains naphthoquinone, which is the main coloring agent, and is not known to case skim sensitization. However, another coloring agent, in most cases, para-phenylenediamine space (PPD), is added to Henna tattooing, in order to speed up and darken the color. We report a case of allergic contact dermatitis in a 25-year-old female, which developed 3 weeks after Henna tattooing.