Korean J Dermatol.  2010 Nov;48(11):1016-1019.

Paraneoplastic Panniculitis in a Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

• Kim DH
• Kim SY
• Im M
• Lee Y
• Joe CO
• Seo YJ
• Lee J

Abstract

Panniculitis generally indicates a group of diseases whose hallmark is fibrous thickening and chronic inflammation of subcutaneous fat. Various factors seem to induce a similar pathological histology, and morphological differences can be found among the patients diagnosed with the same disease. Paraneoplastic causes account for 3~10% of the cases of panniculitis. The commonest causes of cancer associated panniculitis are hematological malignancies and mostly lymphomas. In this case, we confirmed acute myeloid leukemia by a blood test and bone marrow examination, and with considering the clinical aspects and pathological findings of the skin lesion, and we finally diagnosed the patient as having panniculitis, which seems to be related with acute myeloid leukemia. The obvious clinical symptoms or pathophysiological features of this rare type of panniculitis are not yet fully known, and so making the differential diagnosis is needed to distinguish this malady from erythema nodosum, erythema induratum and various connective tissue disorders with accompanying erythematous subcutaneous nodules. We diagnosed this very rare and interesting case of paraneoplastic panniculitis that seemed to be generated from acute myeloid leukemia. We report here on this case and we review the relevant literature.

Keyword

Acute myeloid leukemia; Paraneoplastic panniculitis

MeSH Terms

Bone Marrow Examination
Connective Tissue
Diagnosis, Differential
Erythema Induratum
Erythema Nodosum
Hematologic Neoplasms
Hematologic Tests
Humans
Inflammation
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute
Lymphoma
Panniculitis
Skin
Subcutaneous Fat