Keloids are chronic inflammatory fibrous tumors that cause excessive production of such extracellular macromolecules as collagen, due to the overexpression of various growth factors and cytokines. The etiology of keloids is unknown. They cause pain and itching, which together with the red mass leads to physical and mental stress in patients. No definitive treatment for keloids has been established, although various treatment methods have been reported, and the current consensus is that the recurrence of keloids cannot be completely suppressed. Elucidation is awaited of the pathologic mechanism of keloid development and identification of signal transduction pathways that will help establish a molecular targeted therapy for keloids.

Pigmented epithelioid melanocytoma (PEM) is a new melanocytic neoplasm composed of heavily pigmented epithelioid and dendritic cells, with metastatic potential limited to regional lymph nodes. It was previously diagnosed as human animal-type melanoma and epithelioid blue nevus. Current experience indicates that it is best considered as a borderline melanocytic neoplasm or a low-grade melanoma. PEM has unique demographic, clinical and histological features. It can occur as a sporadic lesion or in patients with Carney complex. It is a rare tumor with a predilection for young people, including children. All racial groups are affected. It has a generalized distribution, including localization to the extremities, head and neck, and trunk. These lesions occur as a slow-growing pigmented nodule or papule. Histopathologically, it is composed of varying proportions of pigmented dendritic and epithelioid melanocytes admixed with melanophages. The diagnostic epithelioid cells are round, polygonal, or elongated, and they range in size from medium to large. A subset of PEMs show loss of expression of the protein product of PRKAR1A, which is a mutation of families with Carney complex. PEM is an indolent melanocytic tumor with metastatic potential limited to regional lymph nodes and otherwise rare distant metastasis. No deaths from the disease have been reported.

Although nutrition therapy is the basis for all medical treatments, nutrition methods vary according to the disease, condition, and individual. Most inpatients use medications to treat the underlying disease, and some of these are affected by diet. Pharmacists in the nutrition support team (NST) need specific knowledge, such as proper use of nutrients classified as medicine, and drug interaction with food. In this article, we describe the role of the pharmacist in NST and the present situation of our NST.