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Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the dosimetric benefits of the irregular surface compensator (ISC) technique for whole breast radiotherapy compared with the field-in-field (FIF) technique. Materials and Methods: Radiotherapy was planned using both techniques in 50 breast cancer patients (25 left sided and 25 right sided). The Eclipse treatment planning system (Varian Medical Systems) was used for dose calculations. For the FIF technique, subfields were added to the main fields to reduce hot and cold regions; for the ISC technique, the fluence editor application was used to extend the optimal fluence. Planning target volume dose, dose homogeneity index (DHI), maximum dose, ipsilateral lung, and heart doses for the left breast irradiation and monitor unit (MU) counts required for treatment were compared between the two techniques. Results: Compared with the FIF technique, the ISC technique significantly decreased DHI values and volumes receiving >105% of the prescription dose, and increased volumes receiving >95% of the dose and MU count (P < 0.01 for all comparisons). For the heart and ipsilateral lung, the FIF technique significantly reduced volumes receiving >5 Gy compared with the ISC technique (P < 0.01); however, volumes receiving >10, 20, and 30 Gy and the values of a mean dose did not differ significantly between the techniques (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The ISC technique is preferred over the FIF technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which aimed to investigate the quality of life (QoL) of Japanese patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). It mentions that the study used the skin disease-specific QoL scale, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and Short Form-36 health survey version 2, a comprehensive health-related QoL scale that is applicable to various types of diseases.

This article discusses a case of IgA vasculitis in a patient with ulcerative colitis who was undergoing treatment with vedolizumab. IgA vasculitis is a rare symptom associated with ulcerative colitis, and vedolizumab is an antibody used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases. The patient experienced pulmonary hemorrhage and purpura on her limbs, which were preceded by episodes of hemoptysis. The article suggests that the development of IgA vasculitis may have been triggered by a combination of factors, including the alteration of intestinal microbiota due to vedolizumab treatment and lower respiratory tract infection. The patient's symptoms improved with prednisolone treatment, and there was no recurrence of symptoms after discontinuing prednisolone. The article concludes by stating that further research is needed to determine if vedolizumab increases the risk of IgA vasculitis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the radiological improvement of peripheral arthritis in a patient with psoriatic arthritis treated with deucravacitinib, highlighting the first reported case of such improvement. Topics include the efficacy of deucravacitinib in treating plaque psoriasis, its potential role in treating psoriatic arthritis, and the implications of TYK2 inhibition in joint inflammation and bone repair.

Primary cutaneous follicular helper T (TFH)-cell lymphoma has recently been proposed, and is characterized by proliferation of malignant T cells expressing TFH-cell markers, such as CXCL13, accompanied by numerous reactive B cells. We report here a patient whose skin histology showed massive infiltration of both T and B cells, with a proliferation of arborizing high endothelial venules and follicular dendritic cells. Infiltrating T cells were positive for CXCL13, programmed death (PD)-I, inducible T-cell co-stimulator, and BCL-6. Southern blot analyses using DNA from the skin revealed monoclonality of both T and B cells. The patient had marked resistance to treatments, and complete remission was achieved only after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The present case showed overlapping features with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL), although systemic symptoms were not observed. Further study is needed to define the criteria of this provisional entity, representing the cutaneous counterpart of the nodal follicular peripheral T-cell lymphoma or AITL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis is regarded as an essential step in supporting tumour growth and metastasis. In haematological malignancies, including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), angiogenesis is increased and serum levels of some pro-angiogenic markers are elevated. The aim of this study was to investigate expression levels of placental growth factor (PlGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A in lesional skin and sera in patients with CTCL, and to assess the association of these factors with development of CTCL. A further aim was to investigate the effect of PlGF on lymphoma cell growth in vivo using a tumour inoculation model. Expression of PlGF and VEGF-A were significantly elevated in CTCL skin. Tumour cells expressed PlGF in some cases. Serum PlGF levels were increased in patients with advanced CTCL and correlated with disease markers. Moreover, PlGF enhanced lymphoma cell growth in vivo through increasing tumour vasculature. These findings suggest that angiogenesis plays a role in the progression of CTCL and raises the possibility of using inhibitors of PlGF in CTCL therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis is a crucial process in the growth and progression of cancer, correlating with the metastatic potential of tumour cells. Angiopoietins are ligands for the endothelium-specific tyrosine kinase Tie2 receptor, which comprise 4 structurally related proteins, termed angiopoietin (Ang)-l, Ang-2, Ang-3 and Ang-4. The roles of Ang-1 and Ang-2 have recently been clarified as crucial in angiogenesis. In this report, we measured serum Ang-1 and Ang-2 levels in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Serum levels of Ang-2, but not Ang-1, in patients with Sézary syndrome were significantly higher than those in patch mycosis fungoides (MF), plaque/tumour MF, and healthy controls. In patients with CTCL, serum Ang-2 correlated with disease activity. Moreover, the numbers of Ang-2+ cells in lesional skin of CTCL were significantly larger than those in normal skin. These results suggest that Ang-2 may have important roles in the development of CTCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses hidradenitis suppurativa has a chronic, inflammatory, recurrent, debilitating disease of hair follicles with painful, deep-seated, inflamed lesions, Topics include the participants or legal guardians provided written informed consent in compliance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki; and the study has approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Nihon University.

Cutaneous involvement is frequent in adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL), a peripheral T-cell neoplasm caused by human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I). Patients with ATLL manifest different types of skin lesions, including nodules, plaques, ulcers, erythroderma and purpura. It has been reported that the type of skin eruption is an independent prognostic factor for ATLL. We report here a rare case of a 62-year-old Japanese woman with smouldering-type ATLL, first manifested by lichen planus-like skin lesions on the lower leg. This case report highlights the multiplicity of skin manifestations in ATLL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined the soluble form of herpesvirus entry mediator (sHVEM) receptor expression and its ligand, lymphotoxin-like expression (LIGHT), in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The sHVEM, serum interleukin-2R, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 and eosinophil levels of patients with mycosis fungigoides and Sézary were measured. A higher level of sVEM and LIGHT levels was recorded.

The article discusses a study on temporal variation of pruritus in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Topics addressed include pruritus intensity in pruritic dermatoses patients, sensitive chemokines associated with pruritus changes, and chemokines' serum cytokine levels. Also mentioned are the expression of Th1 chemokines in response to Th2-mediated inflammation and the use of visual analogue scale to assess pruritus intensity.

The article describes the case of a 60-year-old woman diagnosed with psoriasis who developed exacerbation of mycosis fungoides (MF) with large cell transformation while receiving treatment with infliximab. Topics discussed include the samples of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors used for patients with psoriasis, the results of skin biopsy and histological examination done on the patient and the administration of topical corticosteroids and oral etoposide.