Barbara J. Rutledge, PhD

National report - Skin disease is one of the main reasons for consultation in travelers returning from the tropics, according to Eric Caumes, M.D., professor of infectious diseases and dermatologist in the department of infectious and tropical diseases at Hospital Piti?-Salp?tri?re in Paris.

San Francisco - Syndromic hemangiomas are almost always segmental hemangiomas, associated with a constellation of birth defects probably arising from mutations affecting a developmental field, according to Ilona J. Frieden, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology and pediatrics, UCSF School of Medicine.

San Francisco - A multidisciplinary approach is best in management of problematic hemangiomas, often requiring close interaction with pediatricians, surgical teams, ophthalmologists, neurologists, radiologists, and psychologists, Julie Powell, M.D., said.

San Francisco - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) as a photosensitizer is as safe and effective as cryotherapy for treatment of primary superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC), according to Nicole Basset-Seguin, M.D., professor of dermatology, H~4al Saint-Louis, Paris.

San Francisco - Despite the importance of knowing which of the numerous treatment modalities should be used as first-line treatment for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), there is a severe lack of well-designed, randomized, controlled trials to evaluate the different treatment options, according to Jan Bong, M.B., C.H.B., M.R.C.P., of Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham.