Acral lentiginous melanoma versus lentigo maligna melanoma among Iraqi patients

To report the different clinical aspects of malignant melanoma and their varieties in Iraqi patients. We carried out this study in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq during the period from 1985-2005. Eighteen patients with malignant melanoma were enrolled in this work. The different clinical aspects and histopathological examination were determined. The study population consisted of 18 patients [15 females and 3 males] with a female to male ratio of 5:1. Their ages ranged from 12-75 years [mean +/- SD, 43.72 +/- 14.75 years] while the duration of the disease ranged between 0.25-5 years [1.98 +/- 1.44 years]. The duration of acral lentiginous melanoma was 0.5-4 years [2.16 +/- 1.36 years] and in nodular type was 0.5-3 years [1.28 +/- 0.90 years], while in lentigo maligna melanoma was 1.5-5 years [3.37 +/- 1.49 years]. Regarding the location and gender of the patients affected, 6 cases [all females] were on the acral parts of the body [4 on the feet, and 2 on the hands], 5 patients [all females] on the face, 5 cases [4 females and one male] on the lower legs, while the remaining 2 male cases, was on the interscapular region and the other one on the elbow area. We conclude that malignant melanoma in Iraqi patients is a disease of younger females, which presented mainly as acral lentiginous melanoma, nodular melanoma and lentigo maligna melanoma and superficial spreading melanoma

Invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the eyes in patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis

We described 3 male patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis seen in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital; their ages were 25, 30 and 34 years subsequently. They developed frequent multiple basal and squamous cell carcinoma, all of them had periorbital squamous cell carcinoma that invaded the orbit and ended with enucleation of their eyes. All available therapeutic measures failed to inhibit the progressiveness of these tumors. Great awareness and early management must be performed regarding any periorbital lesion in epidermodysplasia verruciformis patients

Therapeutic evaluation of spironolactone and finasteride in the treatment of acne vulgaris

Antiandrogens have been developed to treat acne; spironolactone, an androgen receptor blocker, and fmasteride, 5 alpha reductase inhibitor, are two antiandrogens that can be used to treat acne vulgaris. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of spironolactone, fmasteride, and combination of both drugs in the treatment of acne vulgaris. This single blinded uncontrolled clinical therapeutic trial was done in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology - Baghdad Teaching Hospital- in a period from December 2004 to October 2006. The patients were classified according to the number of inflammatory lesions as having mild, moderate and severe acne. Severe acne was excluded from the study. History and close examination were performed to all patients regarding all points related to the disease. Sixty-nine patients with acne were divided into three groups and were instructed to take the following drugs for two months; group A: spironolactone 100 mg/day, group B: fmasteride 5 mg/day, and group C: combination of both drugs. The clinical assessment was done by counting the number of inflammatory lesions every two weeks for two months, recording any local or systemic side effects, and comparison between the number of inflammatory lesions before and after treatment was done. Sixty patients had completed this work, whose mean +/- SD of their ages of the three groups totally was 18.8 +/- 2.3 years and for group A, group B, and group C as follow: 19 +/- 2.6, 19.3 +/- 1.9, and 18.1 +/- 2.4 respectively, with 20 patients in each group. Spironolactone was statistically significant in reducing the number of inflammatory lesions, fmasteride was beneficial but did not reach a statistically significant level as spironolactone, and combination of both drugs was more effective in the treatment of acne vulgaris than spironolactone alone but did not reach a statistically significant level. Spironolactone is a good alternative drug to be used in patients with acne singly or in combination therapy with fmasteride