J Korean Med Sci.  2013 Apr;28(4):614-619. 10.3346/jkms.2013.28.4.614.

Clinical Characteristics of 75 Patients with Leukemia Cutis

• Kang YS
• Kim HS
• Park HJ
• Lee JY
• Kim HO
• Cho BK
• Park YM

• KMID: 1786972
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2013.28.4.614

Abstract

Leukemia cutis (LC) is defined as a neoplastic leukocytic infiltration of the skin. Few clinical studies are available on recent trends of LC in Korea. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical features and prognosis of LC in Korea and to compare findings with previous studies. We performed a retrospective study of 75 patients with LC and evaluated the patients' age and sex, clinical features and skin lesion distribution according to the type of leukemia, interval between the diagnosis of leukemia and the development of LC, and prognosis. The male to female ratio was 2:1, and the mean age at diagnosis was 37.6 yr. The most common cutaneous lesions were nodules. The most commonly affected site was the extremities in acute myelocytic leukemia and chronic myelocytic leukemia except for acute lymphocytic leukemia. Compared with previous studies, there was an increasing tendency in the proportion of males and nodular lesions, and LC most often occurred in the extremities. The prognosis of LC was still poor within 1 yr, which was similar to the results of previous studies. These results suggest that there is a difference in the clinical characteristics and predilection sites according to type of leukemia.

Keyword

Clinical Characteristics; Leukemia Cutis; Prognosis

MeSH Terms

Adult
Extremities/pathology
Female
Humans
Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/*diagnosis/mortality/pathology
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/*diagnosis/mortality/pathology
*Leukemic Infiltration
Male
Neoplasm Staging
Retrospective Studies
Skin/*pathology

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Gross manifestation on face. (A) Asymptomatic, multiple, variable-sized, erythematous papules on the face. (B) Painful, oozing, erythematous, erosive patches on the cheek. (C) Tender, crusted plaque on the chin.

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  Fig. 2 Gross skin lesions on the trunk or extremities. (A) Multiple, erythematous nodules on the trunk. (B) Multiple, erythematous nodules on the whole body. (C) Pruritic, erythematous papules on both extremities. (D) Solitary, reddish-brown mass on the ankle.

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