No abstract

No abstract

Our study shows that the most useful histopathologic criteria for distinguishing LEP from SPTCL are the presence of involvement of the epidermis, lymphoid follicles with reactive germinal centers, mixed cell infiltrate with prominent plasma cells, clusters of B lymphocytes, and polyclonal TCR-gamma gene rearrangement.

Background: Surgical excision is the treatment of choice for lentigo maligna (LM), or melanoma in situ. Topical application of imiquimod, a local immune response modifier, is a novel therapeutic approach that leads to LM tumor clearance. This pilot, open-label, nonrandomized study evaluates the efficacy of imiquimod in patients with LM and other systemic problems that make them poor surgical risks.Observations: Six biopsy-proven cases of LM from 5 patients (age range, 67-80 years) in whom standard surgical therapy was contraindicated were enrolled in the study. Five tumors were located on the face and 1 on the right shoulder. Imiquimod was used as a 5% cream once a day for a maximum of 13 weeks. Immediate clinical responses and follow-up, as well as histopathologic changes and immunohistologic parameters (in 2 patients), were analyzed. The complete response rate for all LM cases was 100%. Time to complete clearing varied from 5 to 13