Week 1 - Derm Flashcards
Vitiligo
- Partial or complete LOSS of melanocytes
- Due to autoimmune
- T-cells attack melanocytes in skin and cause destruction of melanocytes resulting in hypopigmented skin
**Autoimmune lymphocyte mediated melanocyte destruction (normal enzyme)
Albinism
- No melanin production/decreased production
- Inherited defect in Tyrosinase enzyme
- Normal number of melanocytes
***Congenital abscence of enzyme and melanin is not made/decreased.
What are three pigmented lesions due to excess melanin?
- Freckle
- Melasma
- Solar lentigo
What three pigmented lesions due to increased number of melanocytes?
- Melanocyte hyperplasia
- lentigo simplex
- Melanocytic neoplasia
- Nevi
- Melanoma
Freckle
- a.k.a Ephelis, Ephelides
- small tan red macules arising in childhood
- fade and reappear in cycle
- Histology: increased pigment in basale melanocytes
- overactive melanocytes due to sun exposure
Melasma
- Mask-like facial hyperpigmentation
- usually on cheeks, forehead, temples
- bilateral cheeks of face in “butterfly” pattern
- Melanocytes have enhanced pigment transfer to keratinocytes or macrophages
- thought to be estrogen related (pregnancy, oral contraceptives, hydantoin)
- resolves after pregnancy
Solar Lentigo
- Hyperpigmentation of basale epidermis due to excess melanin production
- Sun protective mechanism of melanocytes
- too much sun exposure over a lifetime
- Typical farmer (>70 years old)
Lentigo Simplex
- Localized hyperplasia of melanocytes
- Small brown macules
- Not sun related
- All ages
***Histopathology: Increased melanocytes, increased pigment in stratum corneum and basale epidermis, rete ridges elongated/thinned
What is neoplasia?
Genetically abnormal growth (irregular cell growth).
What is cancer?
Malignant neoplasm
Benign neoplasia
- Neoplasm with no capability for metastasis
- Can be destructive or symptomatic
Malignant neoplasia
- Neoplasm with potential for metastasis and subsequently growth/proliferation at distant site
- Often locally destructive, but may not be
Nevi
- Benign neoplasms of melanocytes
- Many Types:
- Acquired/congenital = typical mole
- Junctional (epidermal), Compound (epidermal/dermal), or Dermal
- Spitz/spitzoid
- Atypical (dysplastic)
- Dermal variants
- Blue nevus
Spitz nevi
Difficult to distinguish from melanoma under microscope occasionally.
ALL HAVE TO BE EXCISED.
- don’t know how they will behave
- difficult to judge malignant potential
Dysplastic Nevi (DPN)
- Atypical nevi (mild, moderate, severe atypia)
- Isolated dysplastic nevus = probably no risk or minimal risk of melanoma
- Multiple dysplastic nevi = marker of increased risk of melanoma
***Should excise moderate/severe dysplastic nevi.
Malignant neoplasm
- Malignant neoplasm of melanocytes
- Most arise in skin (can arise in oral/anogenital mucosa, meninges, esophagus, eye)
- Usually asymptomatic, may itch
- Change in color or size of pre-existing lesion
- RISK FACTORS: fair skin, sun exposre, many DPN
ABCD’s of Melanoma
- Asymmetry
- Border
- Color
- Diameter (>6 mm = penicl eraser)
Melanoma in situ
Localized to epidermis
(does not cross basement membrane)
***Benign, but likely to become malignant at some point
Breslow depth
How deep melanoma invades into the dermis.
- Probability to metastasize is best predicted by depth of invasion
- ***Best prognostic indicator***
- measured in millimeters