TY - JOUR
T1 - Actinic keratoses contiguous with squamous cell carcinomas are mostly non-hyperkeratotic and with severe dysplasia
AU - Heerfordt, Ida M
AU - Poulsen, Thomas
AU - Wulf, Hans Christian
N1 - © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - AIMS: Actinic keratosis (AK) is a precursor of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). No validated parameters can predict which AKs will progress into SCCs, but especially thick AKs are under suspicion. The clinical and histopathological thickness of AKs is strongly correlated. This study aimed to investigate the thicknesses and degree of dysplasia of AKs contiguous with SCCs assuming these AKs represent the AKs that have undergone malignant transformation.METHODS: Files of the Pathology Department, Hospital of Southern Jutland, Denmark, were reviewed. 111 cases met the inclusion criteria: a skin biopsy containing an invasive SCC. All SCCs merged with an AK at the edge. Degree of dysplasia, epidermal thickness and stratum corneum thicknesses of AKs were measured.RESULTS: All AKs showed severe dysplasia. Most AKs had a stratum corneum thickness under 0.1 mm and an epidermal thickness under 0.5 mm, corresponding to clinically thin and non-hyperkeratotic AKs.CONCLUSIONS: Our result suggests malignant progression potential of AKs regardless of thickness.
AB - AIMS: Actinic keratosis (AK) is a precursor of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). No validated parameters can predict which AKs will progress into SCCs, but especially thick AKs are under suspicion. The clinical and histopathological thickness of AKs is strongly correlated. This study aimed to investigate the thicknesses and degree of dysplasia of AKs contiguous with SCCs assuming these AKs represent the AKs that have undergone malignant transformation.METHODS: Files of the Pathology Department, Hospital of Southern Jutland, Denmark, were reviewed. 111 cases met the inclusion criteria: a skin biopsy containing an invasive SCC. All SCCs merged with an AK at the edge. Degree of dysplasia, epidermal thickness and stratum corneum thicknesses of AKs were measured.RESULTS: All AKs showed severe dysplasia. Most AKs had a stratum corneum thickness under 0.1 mm and an epidermal thickness under 0.5 mm, corresponding to clinically thin and non-hyperkeratotic AKs.CONCLUSIONS: Our result suggests malignant progression potential of AKs regardless of thickness.
KW - Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology
KW - Humans
KW - Hyperplasia
KW - Keratosis, Actinic/complications
KW - Skin Neoplasms/pathology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104676159&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/jclinpath-2021-207497
DO - 10.1136/jclinpath-2021-207497
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 33863749
SN - 0021-9746
VL - 75
SP - 560
EP - 563
JO - Journal of Clinical Pathology
JF - Journal of Clinical Pathology
IS - 8
ER -