Glossary
A reference glossary of the staging, surgical, histopathological, dermoscopic and oncological terms used across this site.
A
- ABCDE
- Asymmetry, Border, Colour, Diameter, Evolution — lay-facing pigmented lesion criteria.
- Acitretin
- Oral retinoid used for chemoprevention of cSCC in transplant recipients (0.2–0.5 mg/kg/day).
- Acral lentiginous melanoma
- Melanoma subtype on palms, soles or subungual; proportionally commoner in Fitzpatrick IV–VI.
- Actinic keratosis (AK)
- UV-induced keratinocyte dysplasia, marker of field change and small-risk precursor of cSCC.
- AEIOU
- Asymptomatic, Expanding, Immunosuppressed, Older than 50, UV-exposed — Merkel cell carcinoma suspicion.
- AJCC 8
- American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition staging — UK standard for melanoma since 2018.
- Antia-Buch
- Bilateral chondrocutaneous advancement of the helix for rim defects up to ~2.5 cm.
- Atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX)
- Low-grade pleomorphic dermal sarcoma on sun-damaged head/neck skin; diagnosis of exclusion.
- Avelumab
- Anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody; first-line for metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (NICE TA691).
B
- BAD
- British Association of Dermatologists. Issues UK specialty guidance for BCC (2021), cSCC (published 2021), AK (2017) and Bowen disease (2022); current UK melanoma management is primarily NICE NG14, last updated 27 July 2022.
- BAP1-TPDS
- BAP1 tumour predisposition syndrome — cutaneous melanoma, uveal melanoma, mesothelioma, RCC, BIMTs.
- BAPRAS
- British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.
- Bilobed flap
- Two-lobe transposition flap (Esser; Zitelli modification) — workhorse for distal nasal defects up to 1.5 cm.
- Bowen's disease
- Squamous cell carcinoma in situ.
- BRAF
- Serine/threonine kinase; activating V600E/K mutations in ≈50% of cutaneous melanoma; targetable with BRAF/MEK inhibitors.
- Brentuximab vedotin
- Anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate; CTCL (NICE TA577).
- Breslow thickness
- Maximum vertical depth of melanoma in mm from granular layer to deepest tumour cell. Single most important melanoma prognostic factor.
- BSDS
- British Society for Dermatological Surgery.
- BWH
- Brigham & Women's Hospital cSCC T-stage — preferred over AJCC 8 by BAD 2020.
C
- Cemiplimab
- Anti-PD-1 antibody; first-line for advanced cSCC (NICE TA802).
- Clark level
- Anatomical level of melanoma invasion (I–V); now superseded by Breslow but still recorded.
- cSCC
- Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
- CTCL
- Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Includes mycosis fungoides, Sézary syndrome.
- Cutler-Beard
- Two-stage full-thickness lower lid flap for upper lid reconstruction.
D
- Dabrafenib
- BRAF inhibitor; combined with trametinib for BRAF-mutant melanoma (NICE TA544).
- Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP)
- Low- to intermediate-grade dermal sarcoma with COL1A1-PDGFB fusion.
- Dermoscopy
- Surface microscopy with polarised or non-polarised light at 10×; standard of care in UK pigmented lesion clinics.
E
- EADO
- European Association of Dermato-Oncology — issues European consensus guidelines.
- ECP
- Extracorporeal photopheresis — used for Sézary syndrome.
- Estlander flap
- Single-stage commissural lip-switch for lateral lower lip defects.
F
- FAMMM
- Familial atypical multiple mole melanoma syndrome — usually CDKN2A mutations.
- Field therapy
- Topical or PDT treatment of an area of actinic damage rather than individual lesions; 5-FU, imiquimod, MAL-PDT.
- Fitzpatrick skin type
- I–VI classification of UV response and skin pigmentation; influences skin cancer risk.
G
- Galeal scoring
- Perpendicular incisions in the galea aponeurotica to gain ~1.5 mm advancement per cut in scalp reconstruction.
- Gorlin syndrome
- PTCH1 / SUFU naevoid BCC syndrome.
H
- H-zone
- High-risk central-face mask area (central face, periocular, periauricular, nasal, perioral) — high subclinical extension; Mohs preferred.
- HHV-8
- Human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV) — necessary cause of Kaposi sarcoma.
- Hughes flap
- Two-stage tarsoconjunctival flap from upper lid for lower lid reconstruction.
- Hutchinson's sign
- Periungual extension of pigment beyond the nail unit — concerning for subungual melanoma.
I
- Imatinib
- Tyrosine kinase inhibitor; active in DFSP with COL1A1-PDGFB.
- Imiquimod
- Topical TLR7 agonist; superficial BCC, AK, Bowen's; also off-label for lentigo maligna.
- Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)
- Monoclonal antibody blocking PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA-4, LAG-3 inhibitory pathways.
- Ipilimumab
- Anti-CTLA-4; combined with nivolumab for metastatic melanoma.
- irAE
- Immune-related adverse event of ICI therapy — pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, endocrinopathies, dermatitis.
K
- Kaposi sarcoma
- HHV-8-driven angioproliferative tumour; classical, endemic, iatrogenic, AIDS-related variants.
- Karapandzic flap
- Circumoral neurovascular myocutaneous flap for lip reconstruction; preserves dynamic function.
L
- Lentigo maligna (LM)
- Melanoma in situ on chronically sun-damaged skin.
- Lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM)
- Invasive melanoma arising in LM.
- Linear-irregular vessels
- Dermoscopic feature concerning for melanoma or invasive cSCC.
M
- MAL-PDT
- Methyl aminolaevulinate photodynamic therapy.
- MART-1 / Melan-A
- Melanocytic immunohistochemical marker; used in Mohs immunostained margin assessment for LM.
- MDT
- Multidisciplinary team. UK skin cancer MDTs (Local and Specialist) per NHS IOG.
- Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC)
- Rare aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine tumour.
- Mogamulizumab
- Anti-CCR4 antibody; mycosis fungoides / Sézary syndrome (NICE TA754).
- Mohs micrographic surgery
- Excision with on-table frozen-section margin assessment in horizontal sections; gold standard for high-risk facial NMSC.
- Muir-Torre syndrome
- Lynch syndrome variant with sebaceous neoplasms; MMR-deficient.
- Mycosis fungoides
- Most common primary cutaneous lymphoma.
N
- NICE
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence — issues UK clinical guidelines and Technology Appraisals (TAs).
- Nivolumab
- Anti-PD-1 antibody; melanoma adjuvant and metastatic.
- NMSC
- Non-melanoma skin cancer (BCC and cSCC).
O
- OTR
- Organ transplant recipient — high-risk skin cancer population.
P
- Paramedian forehead flap
- Vertical forehead flap on supratrochlear pedicle; workhorse for major nasal reconstruction.
- Pembrolizumab
- Anti-PD-1 antibody; core UK skin-oncology use is melanoma, with other cutaneous indications requiring current NICE / NHS England route confirmation.
- Perineural invasion (PNI)
- Tumour cells along nerve fibres. In cSCC, BAD 2020 / TNM8 recognise three high-risk PNI criteria (any one counts): nerve calibre ≥ 0.1 mm, PNI deeper than the dermis, or PNI of a named nerve.
- PDT
- Photodynamic therapy.
- PUVA
- Psoralen + UVA phototherapy.
R
- RCPath
- Royal College of Pathologists; issues UK histopathology reporting datasets for cancer.
- Relatlimab
- Anti-LAG-3 antibody; combined with nivolumab for advanced melanoma (NICE TA950).
- RGP / VGP
- Radial / vertical growth phase of melanoma.
S
- SCC
- Squamous cell carcinoma.
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)
- Targeted biopsy of the first draining node to detect occult metastasis. In melanoma, NG14 says not to offer SLNB for stage IA, and to consider it for Breslow 0.8–1.0 mm with adverse features or Breslow >1.0 mm after shared discussion.
- Sézary syndrome
- Leukaemic CTCL with erythroderma, lymphadenopathy and circulating clonal T-cells.
- Sonidegib
- Hedgehog pathway inhibitor; locally advanced BCC.
- SOX10
- Melanocytic nuclear marker; useful in Mohs immunostained sections.
T
- TA
- NICE Technology Appraisal — guidance on use of new drugs in the NHS.
- Tenzel flap
- Lateral semicircular advancement-rotation flap for lower lid defects 25–50%.
- Tirbanibulin
- Topical microtubule inhibitor; AK (5-day course).
- TNMB staging
- Tumour-Node-Metastasis-Blood; ISCL/EORTC system for CTCL.
- Trametinib
- MEK inhibitor; combined with dabrafenib for BRAF-mutant melanoma.
- Two-week-wait (2WW)
- NICE NG12 urgent suspected cancer referral pathway.
U
- Ulceration
- Loss of overlying epidermis; upstages T-category at every Breslow thickness in melanoma.
V
- Vermilionectomy
- Excision of vermilion lip, usually with mucosal advancement to reconstitute the lip border.
- Vismodegib
- Hedgehog pathway inhibitor for locally advanced or metastatic BCC. NICE TA489 did not recommend routine NHS use; not routinely NHS-commissioned, so any use requires current funding-route confirmation.
W
- WLE
- Wide local excision.
- WHO
- World Health Organization. Current haematolymphoid tumour terminology uses WHO-HAEM5 (2022), often read alongside ICC 2022; melanocytic tumour terminology is checked against current WHO skin-tumour classification and specialist guidelines.