Based on the present results, we propose that in countries lacking national guidelines, clinicians should adhere to international evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma.

The results of this study sustain the hypothesis that blue periphery with light brown collaret and freckles iris pattern is a reliable phenotypic marker for epidermal skin cancer. The results of this study differ from previous reports in which skin cancer risk was associated with a homogeneous blue iris. We account these differences in the characteristics of the recruited patients (S-E European, skin type II and III). The assessment of iris colour patterns is an easy and inexpensive detection tool in skin cancer risk assessment.

Surgical excision is the standard treatment for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), but it can be challenging in elderly patients and patients with comorbidities. The non-surgical guidelines procedures are usually regarded as monotherapy options. This quasi-experimental, non-randomized, comparative effectiveness study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a combined, conservative, non-surgical BCC treatment, and compare it to standard surgical excision. Patients with primary, non-ulcerated, histopathologically confirmed BCCs were divided into a conservative treatment (129 patients) and a standard surgery subgroup (50 patients). The conservative treatment consisted of ablative CO2 laser, cryosurgery, topical occlusive 5-fluorouracil, and imiquimod. The follow-up examinations were performed 3 months after remission, then every 3 to 6 months, and were extended with telephone follow-ups. Cosmetic-self assessment was recorded during a telephone follow-up. Subjects from the conservative subgroup presented a clearance rate of 99.11%, and a recurrence rate of 0.98%. No recurrences were recorded in the surgical group, nor during the telephone follow-up. There were no differences regarding adverse events (p > 0.05). A superior self-assessment cosmetic outcome was obtained using the conservative method (p < 0.001). This conservative treatment is suitable for elders and patients with comorbidities, is not inferior to surgery in terms of clearance, relapses, or local adverse events, and displays superior cosmetic outcomes.

No abstract

Prevention and early detection in skin cancer are of utmost importance as they increase survival rates, life quality indicators and overall prognosis. In order to achieve an optimal primary prophylaxis one must first know and recognise documented risk factors. The colour of skin, hair and eyes were linked to the risk of developing skin cancer and are easy to evaluate morphologic traits. Pigmentary phenotypic traits are used worldwide to evaluate an individual’s risk for cutaneous carcinogenesis. A high number of epidemiologic studies highlight the importance of skin type as an independent skin cancer risk factor, fair skin and the inability to tan being frequent characteristics of patients suffering from this pathology. Regarding eye colour, there is less scientific data available, but most published studies link light irises to the risk of developing skin cancer.