Dr. Brian J. Nickoloff, who was a scientist in skin cancer at the University of Michigan in Anne Arbor, Mich., will lead the dermatologic program at Loyola's Cancer Center and will serve as professor and vice chairperson of research for Loyola's department of pathology. Nickoloff will also study psoriasis, a non-malignant skin disorder which is another form of abnormal cell growth in the skin. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and appears as a brown, molelike patch that may have irregular edges. Malignant melanoma accounts for approximately 2 percent of all cancers. Typically, melanoma grows from an existing mole and may bleed, change color or begin to itch.
Psoriasis is a skin disorder that results in thick patches of inflamed, red skin.
For some unknown reason, patients with psoriasis experience new skin cell growth at about 10 times the normal rate, but shed their old skin cells at a normal pace. The disorder affects approximately 2 percent of the population in the United States and Europe and is most common in Caucasians. Before joining Loyola, Nickoloff was scientific director of the cutaneous oncology program, director of immunohistochemistry for the department of pathology and associate professor of pathology and dermatology at the University of Michigan. He also served as director of dermatopathology and assistant professor of dermatology in 1984 and assistant professor of pathology in 1986 at Stanford University. Nickoloff has also written more than 100 abstracts and has served as a panelist for dozens of discussions regarding skin disorders.