Biomedical subjects

Francisco M Camacho

Publications and source records attributed to Francisco M Camacho.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

HLA class I expression in metastatic melanoma correlates with tumor development during autologous vaccination.

Our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying tumor-specific immune response and tumor escape has considerably increased. HLA class I antigen defects remain an important tumor escape mechanism since they influence the interactions between tumor cells and specific T and NK cells in the course of malignant disease. We have studied here HLA class I expression in six subcutaneous metastases obtained from a melanoma patient immunized with an autologous melanoma cell vaccine (M-VAX). We report in this paper that HLA class I antigen expression on these metastatic lesions strongly correlated with the course of the disease. The three metastases that were partially regressing at the time of their excision showed a strong HLA class I expression, whereas the progressing ones showed a very weak or negative staining with most of the anti-HLA class I mAbs used. Real-time quantitative PCR of the samples obtained from microdissected tumor tissue revealed a significant difference in the mRNA levels of HLA-ABC heavy chain and beta2m between the two types of metastases, i.e., lower levels in progressing metastases and high levels in regressing ones, confirming the immunohistological findings. This is, to our knowledge, the first report where the clinical outcome of different HLA class I positive and negative melanoma metastases can be clearly correlated with the regression and progression of the disease, respectively.

Cancer Vaccines↗

PubMed2006

[Skin infection with Fusarium in an immunocompetent patient].

Fusarium spp. are fungi found throughout the world and can cause a great variety of skin infections, mainly in immunodepressed individuals. We present a case of skin infection with Fusarium sp. which manifested as painful superficial ulcers on the legs of an immunocompetent female patient, who had applied < > as a < > for leg pain. The condition was cured with oral itraconazole and local treatments.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

[Marjolin's ulcer: burn scar carcinoma].

The term Marjolin's ulcer means the malignant transformation of chronic ulcers, sinus tract and burn scars. The most frequently produced neoplasm is squamous cell carcinoma. The pathogeny is unknown, involving mutations in the Fas gene. Main therapeutic management are consist of prophylactic measures, avoiding repeated traumas and prolonged cure periods. We present the case of a 48-year-old male with squamous cell carcinoma on the old burn scar of legs that evolved favorably after excision.

Biopsy↗

PubMed2005

Dysplastic pointillist nevus.

BACKGROUND: Three cases of pointillist nevus, which is a distinctive clinical type of benign melanocytic nevus with variegated pigment, have been described in the literature to date. OBSERVATIONS: A 24-year-old man presented with an acquired melanocytic lesion composed of multiple tiny pigmented dots. Dermoscopy revealed multiple brown globules on a reddish skin-colored background, and histologic examination demonstrated architectural disorder with cytologic atypia. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, we report a case of dysplastic pointillist nevus.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Shave excision of common acquired melanocytic nevi: cosmetic outcome, recurrences, and complications.

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of benign melanocytic lesions demands the application of simple and effective surgical techniques with the possibility of performing a histopathologic examination with an acceptable cosmetic outcome. However, recurrence rates and the cosmetic result should be taken into account because the main reason for these lesions to be removed is the patient's cosmetic improvement. The present study evaluates the results obtained by shave excision of benign pigmented lesions in terms of cosmetic outcome, recurrence rates, and complications from both a subjective and an objective point of view. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Shave excision of common acquired melanocytic nevi was performed. The patients were reviewed 3 months after surgery to evaluate the objective and subjective cosmetic results, recurrences, and postsurgical complications. RESULTS: Over a 12-week period, 204 common acquired melanocytic nevi were shaved. Objective evaluation revealed excellent results in one-third (32.8%) of the lesions excised, with a poor result in 8.3%. The likelihood of having an imperceptible scar was significantly greater in lesions excised from the face (p < .05). Ninety-eight percent of patients (n = 192) declared that "the scar looked better than the original mole." Clinical and dermatoscopic recurrences were observed in 40 scars (19.6%). DISCUSSION: An acceptable cosmetic result, along with a low rate of recurrence, should be the aim of the surgical treatment of benign melanocytic lesions. The results obtained in this series allow us to provide more detailed and accurate information regarding the outcome and complications expected.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Medium-depth and deep chemical peels.

Chemical peeling, also known as chemoexfoliation or dermapeeling, is performed to improve the skin's appearance as it reduces the wrinkles caused by aging and the features of photoaged skin. Although the best results are obtained with deep peels, the medium-depth peels allow to obtain excellent results without the dangerous side effects of deep peels. Medium-depth peelings are performed with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) at 35-50% alone or at 35% in combination with Jessner's solution, 70% glycolic acid, and solid CO(2). TCA must be applied with a cotton-tipped applicator or saturated gauze pads with smooth strokes. After application, a dry gauze pad must be used to blot the excess TCA from the skin. Postoperative care of 35% TCA peeling consists of cleansing during the following days. Habitually, medium-depth peelings with TCA alone or in combination have no complications. Sometimes, as a consequence of the patient's type of skin, the practitioner's lack of experience or other circumstances, complications such as hyper- or hypopigmentation, erythema, hypertrophiyc and keloid scars, infections, and milia may occur. Deep peeling with phenol has two modalities: unoccluded and occluded Baker's formula phenol. Unoccluded phenol peels is similar to the medium-depth peeling with Jessner's solution + TCA at 35%, but it has the disadvantage that it may produce cardiac and renal complications. This kind of peeling must be applied more slowly, and it is specific for the eyelids in full-face deep peeling. Afterpeel care is the same as that of medium-depth peeling. Complications of deep peelings can be cardiac arrhythmias, hypertrophic scars, infections, prolonged erythema, pigmentary changes, cutaneous atrophy, and exceptionally toxic shock syndrome.

Journal Article↗