Carac (5-fluorouracil 0.5% cream, Aventis Pharma) was approved by the US FDA in October 2000, for the treatment of multiple actinic or solar keratoses involving the face and anterior scalp. The cream should be applied in a thin film once daily to the skin where actinic keratoses (AKs) are present. When it is applied for 1, 2, or 4 weeks, it is significantly more effective than a vehicle in the ...

Non-melanoma skin cancers typically develop on a background of “sun damage” characterized by solar elastosis as well as varying degrees of epithelial atypia and architectural disorder. Molecular data from both skin and other organs suggest that these observations are manifestations of fi eld cancerization. The presence of widespread actinic keratoses (AKs) and the high incidence of multiple pri...

Background. Cryopeeling is a technique that uses cryotherapy not only on actinic keratoses lesions, but also all over the photodamaged skin. Objectives. To investigate the histological changes induced by two cryopeeling methods (liquid nitrogen (LN) and portable system (PS)). Methods. Sixteen patients (n = 16) with multiple actinic keratoses on the forearms were treated with cryopeeling techniq...

BACKGROUND Cutaneous melanomas have been hypothesized to arise through different pathways according to phenotype, body site, and sun exposure. To further test this hypothesis, we explored associations between phenotype and melanoma at different sites using a case-case comparative approach. METHODS Melanoma patients (n = 762) aged 18 to 79 years and diagnosed from 2007 to 2010 were ascertained...

BACKGROUND Exposure to sunlight may decrease the risk of several diseases through the synthesis of vitamin D, whereas solar radiation is the main cause of some skin and eye diseases. However, to the best of our knowledge, the association of sun-induced skin damage with mortality remains unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Subjects were 8472 white participants aged 25-74 years in the First...

Cytological diagnosis in a series of 153 skin lesions is presented. The diagnosis in each case has been compared with the clinical assessment and, where available, the biopsy result (85 lesions). Of 131 basal cell carcinomas, a cytological diagnosis was possible in 124 while biopsyl failed to identify two of the 73 lesions studied. A correct cytological diagnosis was made in five squamous cell ...