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Primary cutaneous amyloidosis includes several forms of localized amyloidosis characterized by superficial amyloid deposits occurring at or near the dermal-epidermal junction in the absence of systemic involvement. Primary cutaneous amyloidosis of the auricular concha and external ear represents a rarely described variant. There have been 27 cases reported in the English language literature, and herein we report 17 additional cases. This article demonstrates that the amyloid observed in this context is generally positive for Congo red, crystal violet and thioflavin T. It also expresses cytokeratin 34ßE12 via immunohistochemistry. Our immunohistochemical results and review of the literature suggest that the amyloid in amyloidosis of the external ear is the result of basal keratinocyte degeneration and does not signify deposition from a systemic or generalized process., (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Background: De novo intraepidermal epithelioid melanocytic dysplasia (DNIEMD) is a newly characterized lesion that is associated with a personal and/or family history of malignant melanoma (MM) and/or dysplastic nevi (DN). However, the biological significance is still uncertain and the persons predisposed to this lesion have not been adequately described., Methods: Clinicopathologic data of 258 patients, from 263 biopsies diagnosed with DNIEMD, was obtained. A brief voluntary questionnaire was used to obtain demographic, risk factor and disease history., Results: There is an 82% (n=263) predominance of women with DNIEMDs. For men and women, the distributions of these lesions occur on the lower extremities (71%), the upper extremities (24%) and trunk (5%). Thirty-one percent of the 258 patients responded to the questionnaires. 48% of the 60 respondents had green or blue eyes. 26% of 62 respondents had a history of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Combined data revealed that 68% of 134 patients had a history of DN. As well, 24% of 89 patients had personal histories of melanoma, while 24% of 72 patients had a family history of melanoma., Conclusion: Most of these DNIEMD lesions are found on the lower extremities of women and men, and they have an increased association with MM, DN and NMSC.