The main goal of skin cancer treatments is to eradicate the tumour with the safest method providing an aesthetically and functionally pleasant outcome. Electrochemotherapy is a minimal-invasive local tumour ablation procedure for cutaneous metastases. This study found that in head and neck skin cancer patients treated with electrochemotherapy, after tumour clearance and wound healing, most of the assessed scars showed physical and aesthetic characteristics very similar to those of normal surrounding area. These results suggest that in the management of head and neck skin cancer, electrochemotherapy may represent a valid alternative to traditional techniques when such techniques are not suitable. Skin malignancies of the head and neck inflict significant structural, functional, and cosmetic burdens upon those affected. We retrospectively addressed electrochemotherapy anti-tumour efficacy in head and neck skin cancer patients who were not suitable for standard treatments. Scars' physical characteristics and aesthetics were evaluated using validated scar assessment scales. Among 33 treated patients, 82% experienced a complete tumour response while 18% experienced a partial response. At a median time period of 7 months, 96% of the evaluated scars came close to resembling the normal surrounding skin showing excellent results in terms of restoration to original condition with no deformity and/or distortion and in terms of preservation of functionality, such as oral competence and eye protection. Electrochemotherapy is an effective local anticancer procedure for cutaneous tumours. In the treatment of skin malignancies of the head and neck, especially in non-surgical cases, in the elderly and in patients declining surgery, electrochemotherapy may represent a valid alternative to standard management.

Considering the strict correspondence between the characteristic histologic findings of elastofibroma and the specific ultrasound pattern, we believe that ultrasound investigation with color and power Doppler allows, in typical cases, a definitive diagnosis of elastofibroma.

The classification of bronchogenic carcinoma as a function of the prognosis is still an open field. The evaluation of stage, by use of the TNM system, and histologic cell type is not sufficient to guarantee a correct prognosis. The growth rate of the neoplasm is another important parameter. We propose a classification that takes into account the stage (S), histologic cell type (M), immune status (I) and the growth rate of the primary tumor (G): S.M.I.G. We studied 90 lung cancer patients according to the S.M.I.G. classification and we observed that their prognoses were directly correlated with their S.M.I.G. scores (the higher the score, the higher the 10-month mortality rate). The mortality rates within the first 10 months of follow-up were respectively 0%, 0%, 36.36%, 68%, 90.9% for the 5 groups obtained by S.M.I.G. The difference is statistically significant (P less than 0.0075) and there is a linear correlation between the mortality rate and the score assigned to each group (R = 0.943; P less than 0.05). The S.M.I.G. classification can predict the prognosis more efficiently than the usual classification (TNM) and histological cell type.

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Cell-mediated immune response was evaluated in 150 patients with histologically confirmed bronchopulmonary carcinoma using bacterial and fungal recall antigens injected intradermally (PPD, candida, trichophyton). In the study group negative skin test reaction was found in 51 of 150 patients (34.0%), whereas in the control population it was found in 5 of 33 cases (15.1%) (p less than 0.05). Histologic cell type and stage of disease were defined for each patient. It was possible to calculate the growth rate of the primary tumor only in 68 of 150 patients, and it was recorded as doubling time. Evaluation of the skin test reaction in each prognostic subgroup showed no statistically significant differences. The only statistically significant differences were found when each prognostic subgroup was compared with the control population according to the frequency of a negative response to the skin test, particularly in stage III M1 (p less than 0.05) and stage III M0 (p less than 0.02). The delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity studied with recall antigen stimulation was mainly correlated with the stage of disease, and it should not be considered as an independent prognostic factor.