Imiquimod induces immune activation patterns that relate to the number of the PDCs recruited to the treatment site, thus supporting the role of PDC in responsiveness to imiquimod in humans.

Background: Surgical excision is the gold standard for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), however its application is limited in specific cases. Superficial radiotherapy (RTx) is an alternative treatment option, but long-term follow-up data are limited. Objective: To determine the outcome of superficial RTx of cSCC in correlation to histological differentiation grade and tumor localization. Methods: The outcome of 180 large cSCCs after superficial RTx between 1960 and 2004 was retrospectively reviewed. Results: Mean tumor size was 3.5 cm² (SD 7.5) and mean follow-up period was 4.9 years (SD 4.7). Relapse-free survival was 95.8 and 80.4% after 1 and 10 years. Two-year relapse-free survival was 94.8% for good, 88.9% for moderate and 85.7% for poor differentiated tumors. Five-year relapse-free survival was highest in cSCCs located around the eyes (100%) and cheeks (90.9%). Conclusion: Superficial RTx is an effective alternative for cSCC if surgery is difficult due to localization or concomitant disease.

Background: Early detection of melanoma recurrence is essential for the patient’s prognosis. The serum S100 level may be a useful tool to detect relapse early. Objective: To compare the efficacy of imaging techniques and serum S100 in the early detection of melanoma progression. This is the first report of a comparison of a serum marker with an imaging tool in the follow-up of melanoma patients. Methods: From 1992 to 2003, we screened 192 patients suffering from melanoma recurrence after a disease-free interval. Of those, 127 patients were identified whose S100 levels had been assessed parallel to imaging procedures. Results: Serum S100 was elevated in 37% of patients at the time of relapse. In stage III, 32% of the patients had elevated S100 levels whereas in case of progression to stage IV, 48% of the patients presented with increased S100. In 5.5% of patients, S100 was the first indicator of disease progression. Imaging procedures lead to detection of melanoma recurrence in 26.8%. Conclusion: A rising level of serum S100 is a specific and sensitive marker of melanoma progression.

The efficacy of TMZ plus peg-IFNalpha-2b in this large phase II study is moderate and comparable to published results of the combination of TMZ with non-peg-IFN. Likewise, the safety profile of peg-IFNalpha-2b seems to be similar to non-peg-IFN when combined with TMZ.

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