Search

Granuloma annulare is a relatively common inflammatory skin disease, yet patient-centered impacts of GA have not been thoroughly investigated, including the potential psychosocial and symptomatic burden, patients’ motivation for treatment, and patients’ perception of usefulness of commonly used medications. We conducted a survey of greater than 900 patients with GA and found an unexpectedly significant impact of GA on the quality of life, a generally poor reported response to commonly used therapies, and that symptoms such as itch and discomfort are not uncommon and may be the primary motivator for seeking treatment. More effective therapies and an understanding of their effect on quality of life is needed.

OBJECTIVE: Keratoacanthomas are fast-growing cutaneous neoplasms that can be difficult to distinguish from squamous cell carcinoma, both clinically and histologically. The uncertain behavior of these neoplasms creates a challenge in management, and treatment choice often varies significantly between cases. The objective of this review is to discuss the most common and up-to-date treatment modalities used in the management of keratoacanthomas. METHODS: A literature search was performed using PubMed to access and review relevant keratoacanthoma treatment modalities published within the last 40 years. Keywords searched included "keratoacanthoma," "Grzybowski syndrome," "Ferguson-Smith syndrome," "Witten-Zac syndrome," and "Muir-Torre" syndrome. RESULTS: Our search resulted in 3,408 articles, of which 67 articles were ultimately included in this review. CONCLUSION: Although surgical removal with excision or Mohs micrographic surgery remains the standard of therapy, there are many alternative therapeutic modalities that can be utilized.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon, locally aggressive malignancy with wide local excision (WLE) or Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) representing the treatment of choice. This article illustrates the experience of a single academic institution in treating DFSP with MMS and adds two particularly large, difficult closures of the glabella/central forehead and sternum to the body of literature.To report the results of 15 patients with DFSP treated with MMS over a five-year period by a single Mohs surgeon at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).A total of 15 patients between the ages of 16 and 80 years were diagnosed with DFSP and treated with MMS and were contacted in October 2021 to assess for recurrence.None of the 15 patients had a recurrence of DFSP following MMS, with a mean follow-up interval of 22.4 months and an average of 1.93 Mohs layers required for tumor clearance.This experience reaffirms that MMS is an effective treatment for DFSP and adds additional examples of closure techniques of large, ovoid surgical defects on the glabella/central forehead and sternum to the literature.