Smallpox vaccination site complications

Waibel, Kirk H.; Walsh, Douglas S.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2005.02627.x

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Figure 9 reveals an example of multiple basal cell carcinomas arising 20 years in a smallpox vaccination scar. This does not represent a solitary observation, since a larger number of basal cell carcinomas and also melanomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and a few more rarely occurring malignancies (dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, fibrosarcoma, and malignant fibrous histiocytomas) have also been reported to occur in smallpox vaccination scars 16. They are summarized in Figure 10.…”

Section: Where Is It Worthwhile To Search For An Infectious Etiolomentioning

confidence: 97%

The Search for Infectious Causes of Human Cancers: Where and Why (Nobel Lecture)

Hausen

2009

Angew Chem Int Ed

112

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Slightly more than 20% of the global cancer burden can currently be linked to infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. In this Review the reasons for their relatively late discovery are analyzed, and epidemiological observations that may point to an involvement of additional infectious agents in specific human cancers are highlighted. Emphasis is placed on hematopoietic malignancies, breast and colorectal cancers, as well as basal cell carcinomas of the skin and lung cancers in nonsmokers.

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Section: Where Is It Worthwhile To Search For An Infectious Etiolomentioning

confidence: 97%

The Search for Infectious Causes of Human Cancers: Where and Why (Nobel Lecture)

Hausen

2009

Angew Chem Int Ed

112

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“…Literature is replete with reports of heterogeneous skin disorders which have appeared on sites of immunization [67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75] (Table 4). Interestingly, the type of immunization responsible for the primary skin damage has over time reflected vaccination habits, smallpox and BCG vaccinations being more frequent in the past, the hepatitis B vaccination more common in recent decades.…”

Section: Vaccinationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

The immunocompromised district: a unifying concept for lymphoedematous, herpes‐infected and otherwise damaged sites

Ruocco¹,

Brunetti

Puca

et al. 2009

Acad Dermatol Venereol

206

275

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Systemic immunodeficiency is known to facilitate the onset of opportunistic infections, tumours and immune disorders in any district of the body. There are clinical events, such as chronic lymphoedema, herpetic infections, vaccinations and heterogeneous physical injuries which can selectively damage and immunologically mark the cutaneous district they act upon. After the causing event has disappeared, the affected district may appear clinically normal, but its immune behaviour is often compromised forever. An immunocompromised district becomes a site which is particularly susceptible to subsequent outbreaks of opportunistic infections, tumours and immune disorders confined to the district itself. In this review, there is an ample case-report collection of opportunistic disorders (infectious, neoplastic, immune) which appeared in immunocompromised districts. The cases have been grouped according to the clinical settings responsible for the local immune imbalance: regional chronic lymphoedema; herpes-infected sites, which feature the well-known Wolf's isotopic response; and otherwise damaged areas, comprising sites of vaccination, ionizing or UV radiation, thermal burns and traumas. Whatever the immunocompromising factor, a common denominator which facilitates the occurrence of tumours, infections and dysimmune reactions in an immunocompromised district may reside in locally hampered lymph drainage and/or locally altered neuromediator signalling. In fact, any obstacle to the normal trafficking of immunocompetent cells through lymphatic channels or any interference with the signals that the neuropeptides and neurotransmitters released by peripheral nerves send to cell membrane receptors of immunocompetent cells, can significantly alter the local immune response, thus paving the way for heterogeneous opportunistic disorders in the immunocompromised district.

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“…25%) has been reported [22] among the cancers that are observed on the scars of smallpox vaccination. This could indeed indicate that some infectious agent or, more likely, a combination of infectious agents is involved in the immunological causal pathway of cutaneous melanoma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clustering of Cutaneous Melanoma in Health Care Workers of a Dermatological Day Hospital Unit

Paradisi

Abeni

2014

Dermatology

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Background: The incidence of cutaneous melanoma is increasing but in most countries is still below 20/100,000 per year. Despite such a low frequency of occurrence, recently the authors have had notice of several new melanoma cases among colleagues. We carried out a survey of melanoma occurrence among the personnel, and their close relatives, of a dermatological clinic. The self-reported figures were compared with data from cancer registries. Observations: Thirty-eight doctors and nurses were surveyed. Three responders reported having had a diagnosis of melanoma (7.9%, 95% CI 1.7-21.4%). The respondents reported having 617 ‘relatives who are alive today and would have come to them if they had a melanoma': 12 had known diagnoses of melanoma (1.9%, 95% CI 1.0-3.4%). The relative risks were 26.3 (95% CI 8.9-78.0) and 4.1 (95% CI 1.2-13.8) for doctors and nurses compared to the general population and to their relatives, respectively, and 6.5 (95% CI 3.7-11.4) for relatives compared to the general population. Conclusions: Two nonmutually exclusive hypotheses may be formulated to explain these findings: (a) most cutaneous melanomas regress spontaneously; (b) an infectious agent is involved in the causal pathway of cutaneous melanoma. Further studies may be warranted to confirm our observations and test such hypotheses.

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Smallpox vaccination site complications

Cited by 22 publications

References 56 publications

The Search for Infectious Causes of Human Cancers: Where and Why (Nobel Lecture)

The Search for Infectious Causes of Human Cancers: Where and Why (Nobel Lecture)

The immunocompromised district: a unifying concept for lymphoedematous, herpes‐infected and otherwise damaged sites

Clustering of Cutaneous Melanoma in Health Care Workers of a Dermatological Day Hospital Unit

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