Melanoma epidemic across the millennium: time trends of cutaneous melanoma in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) from 1997 to 2004.

BACKGROUND: After a rapid increase in malignant melanoma (MM) incidence in the last decades, trends of the melanoma epidemic in the recent years seemed not homogeneous. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at the monitoring of some epidemiological data referring to melanoma in a region of the Northern Italy during the past 8-year period. METHODS: All cases of melanoma, including also in situ lesions, diagnosed in Emilia-Romagna and San Marino State, with the exclusion of Cesena province, from 1997 to 2004 were recorded and the incidence of melanoma, adjusted for the European standard population by the direct method, was calculated. RESULTS: Mean standardized incidence was 9.7 for invasive MMs and 11.9, considering also in situ ones, showing an ascending trend with an increment of 3.3 new incident cases in 2004 compared with 1997. No differences in age distribution, gender and site were reported. Concerning tumour thickness, although a general ascending trend in all subtypes, only thin melanoma incidence significantly increased over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to data from Northern European countries, melanoma incidence still showed an ascending trend in the Italian population of Emilia Romagna.

Carcinoma cuniculatum of the nail apparatus: report of three cases.

Three patients affected by carcinoma cuniculatum involving the nail apparatus are reported. The toes were affected in 2 cases, the thumb in 1 case. In the first patient the tumour developed in the subungual area and resulted in loss of the toe-nail. In the second patient the tumour originated on the dorsum of the toe and subsequently involved the proximal nail fold. In the third patient the tumour developed in the nail bed resulting in loss of the lateral part of the nail plate. The pathology showed in all cases invaginating strands of well-differentiated keratinocytes, some of which had central crypts containing keratinous debris. Radical excision of the tumour required disarticulation of the digit in 2 cases, whereas Mohs micrographic surgery was performed in the third case.