Schepers C, Malvehy J, Azón-Masoliver A, Navarra E, Ferrando J, Mascaró J M
Department of Dermatology, University of Barcelona, Hospital Clínic, Spain.
Dermatology. 1996;193(2):131-5. doi: 10.1159/000246228.
Papuloerythroderma (PE) is a rare type of erythroderma of the elderly which results from the coalescence of sheets of papules that spare skin folds, with peripheral eosinophilia in most cases. Skin biopsy shows a nonspecific eczematous pattern with a mature T cell lymphocytic and eosinophilic infiltrate with Langerhans cells in the dermis. We report 2 cases of PE. The 1st case, in which no underlying malignancy could be found, responded partially to oral etretinate, topical steroid creams and tar derivates. The 2nd case did not respond to high-dose oral steroids and was associated with adenocarcinoma of the colon, with a fatal outcome. PE has been associated with lymphoma and carcinoma. We report the first European case of PE associated with visceral carcinoma and review the cases reported in the western literature.
