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Genetic testing represents a major asset for discriminating between normal antigenic stimulation of B or T cells and malignant, pathological findings. The main difference between those two situations is the heterogenicity of lymphocyte populations as a result of diverse antigenic stimulation for the first situation, compared to single and identical population (clones) for the second situation. The present paper describes one of the many genetic assays capable of discriminating between normal and malignant, characterized by low time-to-result interval, accuracy, simplicity, and low cost comparing to other tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a recent acquisition in the treatment of cutaneous premalignant and malignant lesions, based upon the administration or induction of the synthesis of a photosensitizer in the tumoral tissue, followed by the illumination of the target area using a radiation with an adequate wavelength. This paper aims to review the main molecular, cellular and systemic mechanistic aspects involved in the in vivo effects of PDT, with emphasis on apoptosis and autophagy induction in tumoral cells, local vascular destruction and immune response alteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]