Pigment Disorders Flashcards
What are the SALT cells in the skin?
Langerhans cells–APCs of the immune system
What is a major issue with tanning in terms of cellular damage (which cells in particular)?
Langerhans cells are damaged
What is skin type I of the Fitzpatrick skin types?
White people who can’t tan
What is skin type II of the Fitzpatrick skin types?
Fair skin (burns easily, but can tan a little bit) (you)
What is skin type III of the Fitzpatrick skin types?
Darker, white skin
tans after initial burn
What is skin type IV of the Fitzpatrick skin types?
Light brown skin
What is skin type V of the Fitzpatrick skin types?
Brown skin
What is skin type VI of the Fitzpatrick skin types?
Dark brown or black skin
Are nevi macules or papules?
Either
What happens to nevi with age, generally?
Regress/ go deeper
True or false: dark skinned people do not develop nevi
false
What are the ABCDEs of melanoma changes?
Asymmetry Border Color Diameter Evolving
What are the two major ways to classify type of nevi?
By onset
By depth
At what age do nevi begin to form? When does it peak?
Age 10 ish
Peaks around age 50
It is unusual to develop nevi after what age?
50
What usually causes nevi? What is the genetic predisposition to them?
- Sunlight
- Mutation in the BRAF gene
What are the two major shapes of junction nevi?
Flat or slightly elevated
What are the two major shapes of compound nevi?
Slightly elevated
Dome
What are the four major shapes of dermal nevi?
Dome
Warty
Polypoid
Pedunculated
What are junction nevi?
Nevus whose cells are at the dermoid-epidermal junction
What are compound nevi?
Nevus whose cells are at the derm-epidermal junction and upper dermis
What are dermal nevi?
Neves whose cells are in the dermis, sometime along with fat cells
What are the color of the following:
- Junction nevi
- Compound nevi
- Dermal nevi
- Junction nevi = uniform tan
- Compound nevi = flesh color
- Dermal nevi = flesh to pink
True or false: junction nevi are sharply demarcated
True
What makes a nevi atypical? (4)
- Having flat or raised within the same nevus
- More than 5 mm
- Irregular pigmentation
- Irregular borders
When do atypical nevi usually appear in life? How long do they progress for?
near puberty, and continue to develop past the fourth decade
True or false: atypical nevi are not a marker for a person at risk for melanoma
False–they are, and may even be a precursor to it
What is atypical mole syndrome (dysplastic nevus syndrome)?
a cutaneous condition described in certain families, and characterized by unusual nevi and multiple inherited melanomas
What is the gene that predisposes people to melanoma?
BRAF kinase
What is the prophylactic treatment for patient with the BRAF V600E gene? MOA?
Vemurafenib–B-Raf enzyme inhibitor
What is the tumor marker that is positive in melanoma?
S100
Are cafe au lait spots congenital nevi?
Nah dawg
True or false: large congenital nevi may undergo a malignant transformation
True
True or false: congenital nevi tend to be raised at birth
false–usually flat, but can later become raised
Do junctional nevi tend to be with hair or without?
without
What are the cells that give rise to junctional nevi, and where are they found?
Melanocytes, above the BM
When do junctional nevi tend to develop?
After 2 years
Junctional nevi on palms, soles, conjunctiva, or nail beds are most common in which ethnicities?
African or asian
Are junctional nevi generally symmetric or asymmetric? Regular or irregular?
Symmetric and regular
Do compound nevi tend to be with hair or without?
May have associated hair
Are compound nevi generally symmetric or asymmetric? Regular or irregular?
May be irregular or warty appearing surface
Where on the body can compound nevi occur?
Anywhere
How big, generally, are intradermal nevi?
Less than 1 cm
Where do intradermal lesions tend to become pedunculated?
Trunk or flexures
What are halo nevi?
Compound or dermal nevus that forms a white border
What causes halo nevi?
The formation of a halo surrounding a nevi is believed to occur when certain white blood cells called CD8+ T lymphocytes destroy the pigment-producing cells of the skin (melanocytes). The cause for the attack is unknown.