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Biomedical subjects

C Schmoeckel

Publications and source records attributed to C Schmoeckel.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

[Therapy and prognosis of malignant melanoma of the skin].

Since 1967 a total of 2403 patients with malignant melanoma have been treated according to a standardized regimen. The five-year survival rate for all patients in stage I was 79%. It was clearly dependent on tumour thickness or prognostic index, respectively. If tumour thickness was less than 0.75 mm or the prognostic index under 6, more than 90% survived for five years. With a tumour thickness of more than 3 mm or a prognostic index of greater than 13 the survival rate decreased to about 50%. Irrespective of tumour thickness the first signs of progression were local recurrence (20%), lymph-node metastases (50%), or distal metastases (30%). In case of progression symptoms recurred in about 80% within the first three years after tumour removal, in about 90% within five years. However, some 10% of progression signs occurred after more than five years. Prognosis was not significantly improved in stage I by adjuvant treatment with dacarbazine and BCG. In stage II the five-year survival rate was still about 30%. But in stage III only those patients with exclusively cutaneous distal metastases had a somewhat better prognosis. Only a few patients lived more than three years after the occurrence of organ metastases.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Pseudopelade of Brocq.

41 cases with scarring alopecia seen from 1979 to 1983 were analyzed and differentiated. After exclusion of 7 cases with lichen planopilaris, of 5 cases with discoid lupus erythematosus, of 2 cases with scleroderma, and of 1 case with folliculitis decalvans, there remained 26 cases. The clinical histological and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) findings in these patients suggest that pseudopelade of Brocq might be a distinct disease unrelated to other known types of scarring alopecia. The histopathology is characteristic, and shows the following features: little or only moderate lymphocytic infiltrate, absence of significant follicular plugging, and absence or decrease of sebaceous glands. DIF is negative, occasionally only IgM can be found at the basement membrane. The course of the disease is slowly progressive (in spite of little or no visible erythema), becoming eventually stationary after several years and resulting in a more or less severe permanent hair loss.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

[Pigmented actinic keratoses].

Four cases of pigmented solar keratoses are reported. The brownish pigmented lesions on sun-exposed skin are clinically similar to lentigo simplex, lentigo senilis, lentigo maligna and pigmented seborrhoic keratosis. The surface is rather rough. Histologically, in addition to characteristic findings of solar keratoses, melanin can be found within the lower epidermis and within melanophages in the upper dermis (incontinence of pigment).

Aged↗
PubMed1985

The fibroblastic nature of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: morphological investigations in vivo and in vitro.

Six cases of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans were studied ultrastructurally. Biopsy material from all six cases as well as cell cultures derived from four cases were examined. In all cases, the tumor cells in vivo and in vitro were related to fibroblasts. The two cases with histiocytoid features and a small spiral pattern exhibited numerous lipid vacuoles but no histiocytic cell markers. In these two cases, cultured cells contained a higher number of intracytoplasmic vacuoles than the control fibroblasts. Two other cases exhibited some basement-membrane-like material surrounding tumor cells. All of the investigated cell strains obtained from the tumors showed synthesis of collagenous proteins similar to that found in fibroblasts. However, the level of total collagen was reduced, and type-III collagen was absent. The morphological variations in these cases of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans appeared to be related to the histological pattern and may reflect the heterogeneity of normal fibroblasts.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Nevoid malignant melanoma.

Primary cutaneous malignant melanomas with histological features suggestive of benign nevocytic nevi were studied. From a total of about 3,500 cases, 33 patients with sufficient records, histological slides, and follow-up (at least 5 years for disease-free cases) were found; 15 of them had developed metastases, and 8 had died of disseminated melanoma. Some of the following histological characteristics were always observed: cellular atypia, mitoses, infiltration of adnexa, and in the deeper dermis, infiltrative growth, pigmented tumor cells, sharply demarcated tumor nests, and the absence of maturation. Tumor thickness was the most important prognostic criterion. Clinically, the tumors corresponded to nodular and superficial spreading melanomas. It is concluded that, in rare instances, malignant melanomas strongly resemble benign melanocytic/nevocytic nevi. Such cases do not appear to have a lower degree of malignancy and should be treated as normal malignant melanomas.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Primary cutaneous atypical histiocytosis with possible dissemination.

Three unusual cases that were clinically suspected to be cutaneous malignant lymphomas were investigated by electron microscopy and enzyme cytochemistry. By conventional histology, a monomorphous infiltrate of medium-sized histiocytoid cells with occasional cytoplasmic vacuoles was seen. More characteristic was the ultrastructural finding of giant multivesicular bodies and pleomorphic granules in numerous neoplastic cells. These organelles seem to be closely related and to represent a market of a clinical entity. On cryostat sections some neoplastic cells were strongly positive, some weakly positive, and others negative for lysosomal enzymes (acid phosphatase, alpha-naphthyl-acetate esterase). Several cases with the same cytoplasmic structures and similarities in clinical presentations (disseminated cutaneous nodules and larger masses) and good responses to various modes of treatment (excision, x-ray irradiation, chemotherapy) have been described in the literature. However, a fatal course is also possible.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: altered collagen metabolism in cell culture.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a low-grade malignant tumor that grows invasively but rarely forms metastases. Its origin is still controversial. We characterized the synthesis of collagen in detail in cells which were obtained from dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans tumors by enzymatic tissue disintegration. Similar to fibroblasts, all tumor cell strains produced considerable amounts of collagen. However, the rate was reduced compared to normal skin fibroblasts. Cells grown from the tumors synthesized type I collagen, but no type II could be detected. After serial passaging the cultures started to produce type III collagen, which is probably due to a slow overgrowth by normal fibroblasts.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1985

Bullous amyloidosis.

A patient with a 12-year history of a relapsing bullous dermatosis is presented. Unusual clinical features included urticarial erythema, conspicuous mottled hyper- and depigmentation, lichenification and ichthyosiform hyperkeratosis. Serum immunoglobulin E levels were elevated. Histological examination showing deposits of amyloid in the uppermost dermis confirmed the diagnosis of bullous amyloidosis. Ultrastructurally, blister formation occurred at the level of the lamina lucida. The amyloid did not react with a panel of antibodies directed against amyloid fibril proteins. No underlying systemic disease was found. The bullous eruption responded to prednisolone therapy.

Amyloid↗
PubMed1985

In vitro differentiation of human melanoma cells analyzed with monoclonal antibodies.

Many monoclonal antibodies (MABs) have been produced against cell surface molecules of melanoma cells, and these reagents might help in the definition of stages of differentiation of the normal and the malignant cells. In an attempt to detect MAB-defined determinants that modulate with differentiation, we treated nonpigmented human melanoma cells with the tumor promotor 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) at 16 nM. Differentiation could be induced in all 4 cell lines, as evidenced by growth retardation, development of projections, and induction of melanin or of premelanosomes in the projections as detected by transmission electron microscopy. Of the 9 MAB-defined cell surface antigens, three were shown to modulate with TPA-induced differentiation, as assessed by fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Antigens detected by MABs 15.75 and 15.95 decreased in every one of the four cells after TPA induction of differentiation. The proteoglycan defined by 225.28S increased slightly in one, showed no change in another, and decreased in the remaining two. These three MAB-defined molecules thus are linked to differentiation and might help in designing a scheme of differentiation of the melanocyte lineage.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1985

[The so-called nasal glioma].

A case of nasal "glioma" is presented. This tumor consists of congenital heterotopic glial tissue and represents an abnormal protrusion of brain substance (exencephalia).

Astrocytes↗
PubMed1985

[Clinical diagnosis of early malignant melanomas].

Criteria for the clinical diagnosis of early malignant melanomas were sought. A total of 213 pigmented tumors, clinically suspected of being early malignant melanomas, were measured, described, photographed, and classified histologically: 40 proved to be definitely malignant, 49 possibly malignant ("dysplastic"), and 124 definitely benign (mostly melano-/nevocytic nevi, spindle-cell nevi, and Spitz nevi). Malignant melanomas had a horizontal diameter of greater than 5 mm, the patients were older than 18 years, and 62.5% were females. A combination of criteria allowed a clinical diagnosis to be made with an accuracy of 76.2%. The criteria of a horizontal diameter of greater than 5 mm, irregular configuration, and uneven pigmentation permitted 80% of all melanomas to be identified. Histologically atypical, dysplastic nevi could not be diagnosed clinically. They probably constitute a heterogeneous group and only some of them appear to be very early, histologically not clearly recognizable, malignant melanomas.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Prognostic classification of malignant melanoma by clinical criteria.

In a retrospective study of 503 well-documented cases of primary malignant melanoma (stage I) clinical criteria were analysed for their prognostic relevance. The maximum elevation (in mm) of the tumour was found to be the most important single prognostic factor. There was a close association with tumour thickness, measured histologically by the method of Breslow (correlation coefficient = 0.73). A combination of elevation and three additional clinical criteria (site, nodule- or lesion-diameter, and surface defects such as erosion, ulceration or bleeding) allowed a further improvement in prognostic accuracy. This clinical classification into low-risk and high-risk melanomas was as effective as the use of tumour thickness measured histologically, and can therefore be used for the preoperative planning of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Differentiation between malignant B-cell lymphomas and pseudolymphomas of the skin.

Among cutaneous pseudolymphomas (PL) in a strict sense, in which the etiology is largely unknown, B-cell types, simulating malignant B-cell lymphoma, and T-cell types, simulating malignant T-cell lymphoma of the skin, can be differentiated. Criteria favoring a pseudolymphomatous rather than a malignant lymphoid infiltrate of B-cell type may be clinical (solitary lesion on the head), histologic (wedge-shaped infiltrate with follicle formation and sharply demarcated germinal centers), or cytomorphologic (polymorphous infiltrate showing an admixture of great numbers of macrophages, plasma cells, and eosinophils). Additional information can be provided by enzymophenotyping of the cells, showing the typical starry-sky pattern of the macrophages in pseudolymphomatous infiltrates, and by the demonstration of the polyclonality of the lymphoid cells in pseudolymphomas with respect to surface markers and intracytoplasmatic Ig production, as shown by immunophenotyping techniques.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1984

Alkaline phosphatase activity in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and pseudolymphomas of the skin.

Alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity was studied histochemically in 60 non-Hodgkin lymphomas and 10 pseudolymphomas of the skin. Among the 37 B-cell lymphomas, membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase activity was demonstrated in 8 cases. In none of the 23 cutaneous T-cell lymphomas studied could membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase be detected. Among the pseudolymphomas, 2 cases revealed alkaline phosphatase activity. It was not possible to draw any particular clinically significant conclusions from the membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase reactions. Looking for the microenvironmental conditions of lymphoproliferative processes in the skin, alkaline phosphatase-positive capillaries were seen predominantly in the T-cell lymphomas. The stromal reaction showing a proliferation of alkaline phosphatase-positive fibroblasts was more pronounced in cutaneous B-cell lymphomas. In conclusion, membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase in lymphoproliferative processes in the skin, as in the lymph node, characterize a distinct group of B lymphocytes related to follicle center cells. The clinical relevance of this finding remains to be determined.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1984

Alkaline phosphatase positive lymphoma.

Alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity on cryostat sections of the skin of 38 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the B cell type and of 10 cases of lymphadenosis benigna cutis have been studied. Membrane-bound AP activity has been found in 8 out of 28 cases of low-grade malignant lymphomas of the B cell type and in 2 out of 10 cases of lymphadenosis benigna cutis. This is a known phenomenon in the latter. In the literature of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma AP activity is related to the intermediate type of lymphocytic lymphoma. Further studies are needed to demonstrate that the AP activity correlates with a specific cell type in the B lymphoid cell differentiation.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1984

[Granuloma formation following intracutaneous administration of procaine-polyvinylpyrrolidone].

After intracutaneous application (dermojet) of procaine polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) because of backpain in a 60-year-old woman, multiple brownish-red nodules developed at the injection site within a few days. The histology showed signs of a sarcoid granuloma. There was no clinical evidence for sarcoidosis in this patient. An allergic reaction of the granulomatous type is suspected.

Back Pain↗