Tag Archives: dermatology

Study identifying cell of origin for large, disfiguring nerve tumors lays groundwork for development of new therapies

“This advance provides new insight into the steps that lead to tumor development and suggests ways to develop therapies to prevent neurofibroma formation where none exist today,” said Dr. Lu Le, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study, published online and in Cancer Cell…

From HIV to cancer, IL-37 regulates immune system

“Knowing this mechanism that underlies IL-37’s effect on the immune system now allows us to study IL-37 function and perhaps dysfunction in a wide range of diseases,” says Mayumi Fujita, MD, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, associate professor in the CU School of Medicine Department of Dermatology, and the paper’s senior author. For example, knowing that IL-37 helps to create overall immune system sensitivity could allow researchers to manipulate IL-37 levels to sensitize the immune system to recognize and target tumor tissue, or desensitize the immune system in auto-immune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis in which the immune system acts over-aggressively toward healthy tissue. …

Pain and itch may be signs of skin cancer

The study, published online by JAMA Dermatology on July 23, 2014, found that nearly 36. 9 percent of skin cancer lesions are accompanied by itching, while 28.2 percent involve pain. Non-melanoma skin cancers — specifically, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma — are more likely than melanoma to involve itch or pain, the study found. “The study highlights the importance of a simple bedside evaluation for the presence and intensity of pain or itch as an easily implementable tool for clinicians in evaluating suspicious skin lesions,” concluded the study. …