Abstract: Background: Actinic keratosis (AK) represents a risk of progression to squamous cell carcinoma. Ingenol mebutate gel is a novel therapeutic option for field-directed treatment. Objectives: To evaluate the safety, tolerability and patients' perspectives, related to the therapeutic success of managing AKs on the face and scalp with ingenol mebutate gel in Brazilian individuals. Methods: This was an observational, retrospective and descriptive study of 68 areas of actinic keratosis on the face and scalp treated with Ingenol mebutate gel involving a total of 37 patients. The drug was applied for three consecutive days on an area of of 25 cm2 and documentation was performed on baseline and days 4, 8, 15, 60 and 180. On day 4, the composite local skin reaction score was calculated. At the end, a questionnaire was applied to evaluate patients' perspectives about the treatment. Results: Adherence was 100%, no serious adverse events were recorded and the mean composite local skin reaction score (standard deviation) was 8.61±4.22. The treatment was considered optimum by 75.68% of the patients. Study limitations: Calculation of composite local skin reaction score performed only on the fourth day. Conclusions: Treatment with ingenol mebutate gel was considered safe and tolerable in Brazilian subjects. Patients had a maximum adherence rate and a great improvement in self-esteem. The results of this research reproduce the findings of the literature.

CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: O melanoma cutâneo representa cerca de 3% de todos os tumores da pele. Em torno de 20% dos pacientes terão doença avançada e morrerão antes de completar cinco anos de sobrevida. O objetivo deste artigo é descrever as variáveis clínicas e histopatológicas, e suas correlações. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Estudo retrospectivo, epidemiológico, descritivo realizado na Unidade de Melanoma, Clínica de Dermatologia, Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, Brasil. MÉTODOS: 364 casos foram estudados de maio de 1993 a janeiro de 2006. Utilizou-se o intervalo de confiança de 95% para as análises e para as associações o teste do qui-quadrado bicaudal. Estabeleceu-se nível de significância de 0,05. RESULTADOS: Predominou o sexo feminino resultando em uma proporção de 1,4 mulheres para cada homem. A média das idades dos pacientes foi de 58,9 anos. Para homens e mulheres, o melanoma cutâneo localizou-se, predominantemente no tronco e pés. O melanoma acrolentiginoso representou 22,3% de toda amostra. Observou-se minoria de casos com lesão primária in situ e alto percentual de melanoma cutâneo espesso. Ulceração foi observada em 13,4% para tumores finos (< 1,0 mm). Homens apresentaram lesões mais espessas (p = 0,011) e ulceradas (p < 0,001) e também idosos (p = 0,021 para a espessura e p = 0,015 para ulceração). CONCLUSÕES: Esta casuística constitui-se, na sua maioria, de tumores espessos e ulcerados, o que significa diagnóstico tardio e pior prognóstico. Também se caracterizou por presença marcante de sexo feminino, pacientes não-brancos, tumores em extremidades e melanoma acrolentiginoso.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Cutaneous melanoma represents around 3% of all skin tumors. About 20% of such patients will have advanced disease and will die before reaching five years of survival. The aim of this paper was to describe the clinical and histopathological variables and their correlations. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective, descriptive, epidemiological study at the Melanoma Unit, Dermatological Clinic, Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia, São Paulo. METHODS: Records from 364 cases between May 1993 and January 2006 were analyzed. The frequencies of all study variables and their 95% confidence intervals were determined. The chi-squared test was used to evaluate associations among the variables, adopting a significant level of 0.05. RESULTS: Females predominated, with 1.4 women for each man. The patients’ mean age was 58.9 years. Nonwhite patients represented 13.7% of the sample. The prevalent anatomical sites for cutaneous melanoma were the trunk and feet, for both men and women. Acral lentiginous melanoma represented 22.3% of the cohort. In situ primary lesions were observed in few cases and a high percentage of thick cutaneous melanoma was detected. Ulceration was found in 13.4% of the thin tumors (< 1.0 mm). Thicker and ulcerated lesions predominated in male patients (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001 respectively) and in elderly patients (p = 0.021 and p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: The cohort mostly presented thick and ulcerated tumors, denoting late diagnosis and bad prognosis. Also, the sample was characterized by considerable prevalence of female patients, nonwhite patients, limb lesions and acral lentiginous melanoma.