Chromoblastomycosis: an unusual cutaneous dematiaceous fungal infection

Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic fungal infection with a slow evolution, caused by dematiaceous fungi inducing skin lesions being difficult to treat and have frequent recurrences. The clinicopathological features and diagnosis of one such case is reported here to share our experience with others. A nine years old male with a three years history of a slowly spreading painless skin lesion involving the whole of right cheek and nose. The patient gave a typical history of trauma in that region followed by a dark red skin eruption, which gradually grew to form erythematous papule. Physical examination revealed large hyperkeratotic, raised, thick crusted, verrucous plaques with areas of scaring and ulceration on the right cheek and nose extending down in a tumorous fashion. A small scaly lesion was observed next to the right eyebrow. However, the borders of the lesion were well defined and the surrounding skin was normal. No lymphadenopathy was seen

Bone marrow involvement in lymphomas: incidence and correlation with age and sex

A study was conducted over a period of five years, from January 1997 to December 2001, to find out the incidence of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Hodgkin's Disease with bone marrow involvement, in correlation to age and sex of the patient. The study included 332 diagnosed patients of Lymphoma referred by the Oncology Department of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, to the Pathology Department of Allama lqbal Medical College, Lahore, for bone marrow biopsy. There were 245 patients with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and bone marrow infiltration was noted in 134 [54.7%]. Out of them 168 [68.6%] were males with infiltration in 87 [51.8%], while there were 77 [31.4%] females showing bone marrow involvement in 47 [61%]. Highest number of cases was between 51 - 60 years but bone marrow infiltration was more above the age of 60 years. Hodgkin's Disease comprised of 87 patients and 24 [27.6%] showed involvement of the bone marrow. They included 73 [83.9%] males and 14 [16.1%] females with bone marrow involvement in 16 [21.9%] and 8 [57%] respectively. Maximum number of cases were in the first two decades of life but highest percentage of bone marrow infiltration was above the age of 60 years