Australasian Journal of Dermatology provides the latest peer-reviewed, original research articles, reviews and case reports dealing with all aspects of clinical practice and research in dermatology.
Featured Article
Curettage and colour – A technique for defining tumour depth on the ear in the Mohs and non-Mohs setting
Thomas Pagliaro, Jazlyn Read
The macroscopic and histological anatomy of the ear make it susceptible to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and subsequent development of skin cancer. While the removal of involved cartilage is essential for complete tumour clearance, the cartilage of the ear can be cosmetically damaged with excessive removal. This paper proposes a new technique to help precisely define cartilage involvement using a curette and a surgical marking pen to minimise cartilaginous resection and to ensure complete tumour clearance.
The technique of using a curette to define the extent of a tumour is standard in Mohs micrographic surgery and has utility in the standard excision setting. The curette can be used to approximate the size of the tumour and surrounding cartilage, then a surgical marking pen can be used to mark the curetted tissue.
In cases, where the tumour extends onto cartilage, there are often areas where the marking pen ink can penetrate to the small areas of exposed cartilage. The areas that are likely to be affected by tumour involvement and have been exposed by the initial curettage will appear on the underlying cartilage as ink stains. If curettage is needed to reach the next fascial layer via this technique, the tissue of the underlying plane is resected. The ink stain defines the initial minimum resection required.
This technique is simple, quick and adds no extra cost. In the setting of Mohs surgery, the usage of curette and surgical marking pen can highlight the extent of the tumour, ensuring that it is removed in its entirety as well as preserving the structure of the ear cartilage.
About the Journal
The Australasian Journal of Dermatology is the official journal of the Australasian College of Dermatologists and the New Zealand Dermatological Society. Editorially independent and peer-reviewed, the journal showcases the latest in dermatology research and innovation.
With four issues a year and special editions, the journal covers clinical presentations, medical and physical therapies and investigations, including dermatopathology, mycology, dermoscopy, surgery and contact dermatitis.
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Editorial Board
Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani
Institute of Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
Associate Professor Helmut Schaider
Dermatology Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Professor Khosrotehrani is a clinician-scientist, practicing dermatologist with a focus on delivering state of the art concept and technologies to real-world clinical problems. A Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD), he leads the Experimental Dermatology Group at the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute in Brisbane, Australia; is deputy director of the Australian Skin and Skin Cancer Research Centre in Brisbane and practises at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Skin and Cancer Foundation’s Queensland Institute of Dermatology. Passionate about the development of academic medicine and future academic clinicians, he is chair of ACD’s Academic Research Committee, President of the Australasian Society for Dermatology Research and a board member of the International Society for Investigative Dermatology. He obtained his MD in Paris, France specialising in Dermatology and is a former graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Institut Pasteur of Paris (Université Paris VI, Pierre et Marie Curie) obtaining a PhD in Physiology and Physiopathology. He completed his post-doctoral training in stem cell biology and clinical genetics at Tufts-New England Medical Centre in Boston, USA. Acknowledged by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia through an achievement award (2011) and an NHMRC excellence award (2016), his research is fundamentally based on regenerative medicine concepts applied at basic, translational and clinical levels to melanoma, keratinocyte cancers and skin wounds and takes a multidisciplinary approach. This unique expertise and leadership in research is witnessed by a record of highly cited articles (over 3700 citations, H index 33). | Associate Professor Schaider is an academic dermatologist recognised as a clinical researcher in skin cancer focusing on melanoma biology and early detection of melanoma. He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists, Treasurer of the Australasian Society of Dermatology Research and is practising at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. He obtained his medical degree at the Medical University of Graz, Austria, and received training as a postdoctoral researcher in pharmacology at the German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany and melanoma biology at The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, US. After relocating to Australia, he set up an independent research group at the Translational Research Institute, Brisbane aiming to identify novel targets tackling cancer drug resistance and improving early detection of melanoma. His group recently identified a chronic stress induced drug tolerant phenotype in cancer and found a novel potential druggable target. Early detection of melanoma is utilizing cutting edge technology like 3D whole body photography to develop surveillance programs for high-risk patients. |
| Dr Nikki Adler | Monash University, Melbourne, Australia |
| Dr Keng Chen | Sable Dermatology, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Peggy Chen | Taranaki District Health Board, New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Dr Harriet Cheng | Auckland City Hospital, Auckland |
| Dr Karen Cheung | The Skin Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Haady Fallah | Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Esther Hong | Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Joseph Konya | The Skin Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Prof Prasad Kumarasinghe | Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Australia |
| A/Prof Christopher McCormack | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne Australia |
| Dr Anne O’Neill | The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Australia |
| Dr David Orchard | Private Suites Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia |
| Dr Yan Pan | Victorian Melanoma Service, Alfred Hospital, VIC, Australia |
| A/Prof Helmut Schaider | Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Brisbane, Australia |
| A/Prof Stephen Shumack | Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, Sydney, Australia |
| Prof Rodney Sinclair | University of Melbourne and Epworth Hospital, Melbourne, Australia |
| Prof H Peter Soyer | Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Brisbane, Australia |
| Dr Keng-Ee Thai | Royal Australian Army Medical Corps |
| Dr Orli Wargon | Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Ashfaq Marghoob | Memorial Sloan Kettering Skin Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA |
| Prof John McGrath | St John’s Institute of Dermatology, London, United Kingdom |
| Dr Masaru Tanaka | Tokyo Woman’s Medical University, Medical Center East, Tokyo, Japan |
| Dr Mark Tang | National Skin Centre, Singapore |
| Dr Clark C Otley | Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA |
