Nonmelanoma skin cancer associated with Hydroxyurea treatment: Overview of the literature and our own experience.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the fair skin population, with each year several millions of diagnosed cases. Their most common risk factors are fair skin, a history of excessive ultraviolet light exposure, chronic inflammatory skin conditions, exposure to radiation, and contact with arsenic. Certain drugs can also be associated with a higher risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer. These include hydroxyurea, which acts as a metabolic inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase and a potent nonalkylating myelosuppressive agent. It is used for the treatment of various myeloproliferative disorders, including chronic myeloid leukemia, polycythemia vera, and essential thrombocytopenia. Several publications describe an increased occurrence of skin manifestations following hydroxyurea treatment. A growing body of evidence indicates a possible role of hydroxyurea in skin cancer progression. In this review article, we summarize some relevant observations about the association of hydroxyurea and skin cancer, and we describe our own clinical experiences to provide up to date recommendations about the care of patients on hydroxyurea therapy.

Type I leucocyte adhesion deficiency in Yemenian family managed with appropriate treatment: A case series.

Primary immunodeficiencies are rare, inherited diseases, characterized by altered function or absence of immune cells. Among them is leukocyte adhesion deficiency Type I (LAD-I), an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by primary immunodeficiency, caused by mutations in the ITGB2 gene which produces inability of leucocytes to migrate toward the area of inflammation and is associated with recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an uncommon noninfectious neutrophilic dermatosis, characterized by recurrent, necrotic ulcers. It is a diagnosis of exclusion and can be challenging and its management is empirical, with local (topical tacrolimus or intralesional triamcinolone) or systemic immunosuppressive therapy (oral or intravenous glucocorticoids, sulfasalazine, especially in cases associated with Crohn's disease, cyclosporine and, recently, anti-tumor necrosis factor drugs such as Infliximab, Etanercept, and Adalimumab). Though skin ulcerations are common, predominant clinical presentation as PG can often mimic other diseases. It is unusual in children even more in LAD-I. Here, we present a Yemenian family with LAD-I from consanguineous relatives. All patients had history of chronic recurrent skin ulcerations without any bleeding tendency, associated with persistent neutrophilia and requiring steroids and antibiotics. There was no history of delayed cord separation and the condition was initially diagnosed as epidermolysis bullosa, but successively as PG. LAD-I should be kept in mind while evaluating patients with PG especially in children with persistent neutrophilia in the absence of other rheumatological disorders. Its diagnosis is extremely important from the management perspective, as treating these patients without adequate antibiotic cover may be fatal, as happened to one of our patient, and these patients often require hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for permanent cure. Therefore, genetic counseling especially in population with high consanguinity is mandatory.