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[Background]: Microscopic residual disease (MRD) after surgery can be a challenging situation in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) and there is a lack of evidence concerning its management. [Objective]: To evaluate the prognosis of CSCC with MRD and the usefulness of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in CSCC with MRD. [Methods]: Retrospective cohort study of CSCC with MRD through a 10-year period (2010–2019) (n = 244). Disease-free survival and event-free survival were assessed using R (v.3.4.1), considering competing risks. Evaluated outcomes were local recurrence (LR), nodal metastases (NMs), and disease-specific death (DSD). [Results]: Median age was 88y (IQR: 10.5). A total of 145 (59.43%) were men and 69 (28.28%) were immunosuppressed. Median tumour diameter and thickness were 19 and 6.4 mm (IQR 11 and 5.5 mm). Patients treated by re-excision had a relapse rate of 4.3% compared with 11.30% and 29.71% in those who received PORT and observation (P = 0.045). The use of PORT was associated with a lower risk of LR compared with observation (HR = 0.206 [0.049–0.859], P = 0.030), but not with a lower risk of NMs or DSDs. In the multivariable models, PORT was again associated with a lower risk of LR than observation (HR = 0.167 [0.039–0.708], P = 0.014), but not with lower risk of metastasis and death. [Conclusions]: We always should try to obtain clear margins after surgery. PORT improves local control in CSCC with MRD, but when administered to the tumour bed, it does not reduce the risk of NM and DSD.

[Background]: Acantholytic cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (aCSCCs) have been classically considered as a high-risk variant of CSCC. However, more recent studies show that aCSCC does not confer more aggressiveness. This study aims to establish whether the prognosis of the aCSCC is worse than that of the non-acantholytic (naCSCC) or not. [Methods]: Retrospective case-control study with 50 aCSCCs and 50 naCSCCs. For each aCSCC, an naCSCC with similar high-risk features to the aCSCC but with no acantholysis was selected. Prognosis between both groups was compared. [Results]: The mean age was 86 years (SD 9.61). Sixty-one patients were men. Thirty-nine CSCCs were located in high-risk head and neck areas. Twenty CSCCs exhibited a poor degree of differentiation, and 36 showed an infiltrative growth pattern. The tumor diameter was 18.71 mm (interquartile range, IQR 35), and the tumor thickness was 6.72 mm (IQR 15.50). Twelve CSCCs exhibited perineural infiltration, and eight CSCCs exhibited invasion beyond the subcutaneous fat. Positive margins after excision of the tumor in 22 aCSCCs vs eight naCSCCs (P < 0.02). Nineteen poor-prognosis events were observed (local recurrence, lymph node metastasis, and death from CSCC). However, no differences were observed between both groups when comparing poor-prognosis events. [Conclusion]: The proportion of unfavorable events is similar in aCSCC and naCSCC. The acantholytic histopathological subtype is not associated with a poorer prognosis than the non-acantholytic CSCC in our cohort.

Advances in virology and skin cancer over recent decades have produced achievements that have been recognized not only in the field of dermatology, but also in other areas of medicine. They have modified the therapeutic and preventive solutions that can be offered to some patients and represent a significant step forward in our knowledge of the biology of skin cancer. In this paper, we review the viral agents responsible for different types of skin cancer, especially for solid skin tumors. We focus on human papillomavirus and squamous cell cancers, Merkel cell polyomavirus and Merkel cell carcinoma, and human herpesvirus 8 and Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Introduction: Cardiovascular autonomic modulation can be considered a useful tool in determining the physiological state of the interaction between the autonomic nervous system and the cardiovascular system. Objectives: To determine the differences in linear parameters of the basal auto- nomic balance between medical students and young baseball players. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in the Biomedical Basic Sciences Laboratory, Faculty No.1, of the University of Medical Sciences Universidad de Ciencias Médicas in Santiago de Cuba. The population and sample consisted of 36 individuals (Group 1: 18 high-performance young baseball athletes, Group 2: 18 medical students). Data was collected using an 8-channel PowerLab polygraph and it was processed using the Kubios® Software version 3.0.4 Premium. Results: There were significant differences in the values between students and athletes: pNN50 (p=0.009), stress index (p=0.044) and in parasympathetic (p=0.005) and sympathetic (p=0.001) indexes. The discriminatory ability of the parasympathetic index to be associated with the best physical fitness of the athletes was good (area under the curve 0.784). The optimum cut-off point above which the parasympathetic index is associated with the group of athletes was set at 0.57. Conclusions: The parasympathetic index was associated with the group of athletes, showing the vagal predominance in the modulation of cardiac activity in the individuals belonging to this group., Introducción: La modulación autonómica cardiovascular puede ser considerada como una herramienta útil en la determinación del estado fisiológico de la interacción entre los sistemas nervioso autónomo y cardiovascular. Objetivo: Determinar las diferencias en los parámetros lineales del balance auto- nómico basal entre estudiantes de medicina y atletas juveniles de béisbol. Método: Se realizó un estudio analítico de tipo transversal en el Laboratorio de Ciencias Básicas Biomédicas de la Facultad Nº. 1 de la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba. Universo y muestra de 36 individuos (Grupo 1: 18 atletas juveniles de béisbol de alto rendimiento, Grupo 2: 18 estudiantes de medicina). Los datos fueron recolectados, mediante de polígrafo PowerLab de 8 canales, y fueron procesados usando el software Kubios® versión 3.0.4 Premium.Resultados: Existieron diferencias significativas en los valores de pNN50 (p=0,009), índice de estrés (stress index [p=0,044]), y en los índices parasimpático (p=0,005) y simpático (p=0,001) entre estudiantes y atletas. La capacidad discriminatoria del índice parasimpático para asociarse con la mejor forma física de los atletas fue buena (área bajo la curva 0,784). El punto de corte óptimo por encima del cual el índice parasimpático se asocia al grupo de los atletas quedó establecido en 0,57. Conclusiones: El índice parasimpático se asoció con el grupo de atletas, lo que evidencia el predominio vagal en la modulación de la actividad cardíaca en los sujetos de este grupo.