Dermoscopy for rare skin tumours (Nurse)

The Dermoscopy for Rare Skin Tumours course provides a comprehensive guide to diagnosing and managing uncommon and challenging skin tumours. This single-unit program emphasises the practical application of dermoscopy and its role in identifying rare malignancies and syndromic associations.

The course focuses on recognising and understanding the unique features of rare skin tumours using dermoscopic techniques.
Key Topics Covered:
- Merkel Cell Carcinoma
- Clinical presentation and increasing incidence in elderly and immunosuppressed patients.
- Dermoscopic features, including pink-to-red backgrounds, arborizing vessels, and milky-red areas.
- Importance of aggressive treatment, including sentinel node biopsy, surgery, and radiotherapy.
- Angiosarcoma
- Differentiating between head and neck angiosarcomas and those associated with lymphedema or radiotherapy.
- Dermoscopic signs such as red, purple, and blue patterns with white lines.
- Challenges in management due to high recurrence rates and poor prognosis.
- Fibrous Tissue Tumours
- Atypical Fibroxanthoma: Features such as red and white areas with irregular vessels.
- Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans: Ivory-white backgrounds with vascular patterns, emphasising wide surgical margins to reduce recurrence.
- Adnexal Tumours
- Trichoblastoma: Differentiating from basal cell carcinoma.
- Pilomatrixoma: Recognising white or yellow structures with linear vessels.
- Associated syndromes, including Brooke-Spiegler and Birt-Hogg-Dubé.
- Sebaceous Tumours and Syndromes
- Identifying sebaceous adenomas, carcinomas, and their link to Muir-Torre syndrome.
- Dermoscopic features: yellowish areas, collarettes, and unfocused vessels.
- Multidisciplinary Management
- Importance of collaboration among dermatologists, oncologists, and pathologists.
- Case studies illustrating diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

This course is ideal for clinicians seeking advanced skills in dermoscopy and the management of rare skin conditions to improve patient outcomes.

Relevance to Nurses:

Nurses play an important role in skin cancer prevention, early detection and ongoing patient care. Developing knowledge and skills in skin assessment and melanography can support the recognition and monitoring of suspicious lesions, patient education and documentation, while contributing to collaborative care and timely management of patients with skin cancer concerns.

1. Distinguish dermoscopy features of pigmented and non-pigmented variants of uncommon skin tumours.
2. Evaluate dermatoscopic clues for rare, complex-syndrome skin cancers.
   
   

All nurses.