O'Brien’s actinic granuloma is a rare skin disease. Controversy continues over whether it should be considered a specific condition or a form of granuloma annulare located in sun-exposed areas. Its pathogenesis is unknown; however, the most widely accepted hypothesis suggests that solar radiation is the triggering factor. This paper describes the case of a 78-year old, fair-skinned male, who pr...

The role of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of in situ neoplasias and tumors of the skin is steadily increasing. Its principles of photodynamic action include an intratumoral enriched photosensitizer and light activation. Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has demonstrated highest efficacy in topical PDT, and has become the most clinically useful. For actinic (solar) keratoses, topical ALA-P...

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most common cause of physical injury to the skin due to environmental damage, and UV exposure substantially increases the risk of actinic damage to the skin. The inflammatory changes induced by acute UV exposure include erythema (sunburn) of the skin, while chronic exposure to solar UV radiation causes photo-aging, immunosuppression, and ultimately, carcinogene...

Smad4 loss occurs frequently in human skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), but it is unknown whether this loss increases UV-induced carcinogenesis, a major etiological factor in skin cancer. In the present study, mice with keratinocyte-specific Smad4 deletion (K14.Smad4(-/-)) and wild-type (WT) littermates were chronically UV-irradiated. Compared with WT, K14.Smad4(-/-) mice exhibited increased ...

We present a case report of a 3.5 mm diameter superficial spreading melanoma on the upper back of a 27-year-old woman, signed out as Clark level 2, Breslow thickness 0.2 mm with regression to 0.45 mm. The patient, with Fitzpatrick type 1 skin and minimal actinic damage, had presented for a routine skin check with no previous history of skin cancers. At the age of 17 she had received chemotherap...

Physiological processes, as aerobic metabolism and inflammatory response, generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that may induce cellular injury when their amount is increased and antioxidant defense mechanisms are overwhelmed. Also, ROS are generated following UV skin irradiation able to deplete the natural antioxidant defenses in the skin. The increase in exposure to UV may lead to photoaging...

Oral lichen planus (LP) is a common manifestation in patients with LP; however, isolated lip LP is rare and may mimic other conditions such as lichenoid drug eruptions, actinic cheilitis, and early carcinoma in situ in the absence of typical skin lesions. Actinic lichen planus (ALP) is a variant of LP occurring on light-exposed areas in patients with dark skin. We report the case of a Chinese f...

Actinic keratoses (AKs) are evolving malignant cutaneous neoplasms. They are also known as solar keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma in situ-solar keratotic type, or keratinocytic intraepidermal neoplasia. Actinic keratoses can be treated by two general methods: by physical/destructive methods and with topical therapies. This article will review current and evolving topical therapeutic options f...

Actinic cheilitis is the main precancerous lesion of the lip. Squamous cell carcinoma of the lip is reported together with oral carcinomas in the Brazilian official statistics. Overall, they account for 40% of the head and neck carcinomas. In general, physicians and dentists know little about what causes oral tumor development and progression. Tumor suppressor genes and cell proliferation regul...