Acrokeratosis paraneoplastica of Bazex as an indicator for underlying squamous cell carcinoma of the lung

Purpose: obligatory cutaneous paraneoplastic disorders comprising acanthosis nigricans maligna, erythema gyratum repens, paraneoplastic pemphigus, hypertrichosis lanuginosa acquisita, erythema necrolyticum migrans and acrokeratosis paraneoplastica are rare. However, as markers of an underlying internal malignancy they are of utmost importance for the patient. Acrokeratosis paraneoplastica (first described by Gougerot and Rupp in 1922) was named after Bazex who had then reported several cases in a French dermatological journal since 1965 (Bazex et al. in Bull Soc Fr Dermatol Syphiligr 72:182, 1965; Bazex and Griffiths in Br J Dermatol 102:301–306, 1980). Method: the study is a clinical case of a patient with acrokeratosis paraneoplastica. Results: the patient was later diagnosed with a cervical lymph node metastasis and thereafter with a primary squamous cell carcinoma of the left upper lobe and upon treatment responded with the clearing of the skin changes. Conclusion: identification of a paraneoplastic syndrome may enhance the earlier diagnosis of the associated tumor and may thus enable curative treatment.