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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are authorized for use in numerous countries worldwide. Several cutaneous findings are reported after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) vaccination. Here, we report the case of a patient with a rapid onset of alopecia areata immediately after receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disease leading to non-scarring hair loss. Among the many cutaneous adverse effects reported after the anti-SARS-COV2 vaccination, no episodes of alopecia areata have been described to date. In this paper, we report the first case of alopecia areata after COVID-19 vaccination described in the literature with a revision of cases of alopecia areata reported after other types of vaccination. Although the significance of these skin reactions is not yet known, further studies will certainly clarify whether the development of alopecia areata or other forms of immune-mediated reactions could represent a positive prognostic factor regarding immune protection from SARS-CoV-2.

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive skin cancers. The 5-year survival rate of stage III melanoma patients ranges from 93% (IIIA) to 32% (IIID) with a high risk of recurrence after complete surgery. The introduction of target and immune therapies has dramatically improved the overall survival, but the identification of patients with a high risk of relapse who will benefit from adjuvant therapy and the determination of the best treatment choice remain crucial. Currently, patient prognosis is based on clinico-pathological features, highlighting the urgent need of predictive and prognostic markers to improve patient management. In recent years, many groups have focused their attention on identifying molecular biomarkers with prognostic and predictive potential. In this review, we examined the main candidate biomarkers reported in the literature.

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