Cutaneous presentation preceding acute monocytic leukemia: A CARE-compliant article

RATIONALE

Cutaneous presentation preceding acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is rare, and the prognosis is poor.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We report 4 cases of AML cutis, where skin infiltration precedes any blood or bone marrow evidence of leukemia. We also reviewed 13 cases reported in English and Chinese literature. The 4 cases all presented typical cutaneous lesions without any systemic evidence of leukemia. Histopathological examination found that dense monomorphous cell infiltration involved the dermis. Some cells surrounded blood vessels and skin appendages in a concentric manner or showed single-row arrangement in the collagen fiber bundles. Uninvolved papillary dermis was found to separate normal epidermis from dermal infiltration. Minor cells had a large kidney-shaped or oval nucleus with nucleoli and slightly eosinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical analysis was positive for CD4, CD56, while CD123 was negative in all cases.

DIAGNOSES

AML-M5.

INTERVENTIONS

2 patients received chemotherapy ,but others rejected treatment.

OUTCOMES

Most patients died within 1 year after the onset of skin lesions.

LESSONS

These findings suggest that skin infiltration of AML may precede any systemic evidence, and typical cutaneous lesions in elderly individuals may be indicative for AML.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity in nonsmoking women: a new and unusual complication of chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian cancer?

PURPOSE

To describe occurrences of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in patients who had received long-term pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) for ovarian cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In our cohort of patients on maintenance PLD for ovarian and related mullerian epithelial malignancies, we encountered two patients with invasive SCC of the oral cavity (one of them multifocal) and one with high-grade squamous dysplasia. Review of patients at our institution receiving PLD for recurrent ovarian cancer identified three additional patients. The duration of treatment, cumulative PLD dose, human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity, BRCA status, stage at diagnosis, outcome, and other characteristics are reviewed.

RESULTS

All five cases were nonsmokers with no known risk factors for HPV and four were negative for p16 expression. Four of the patients had known BRCA mutations whereas one tested negative. Cumulative doses of PLD were >1,600 mg/m2 given over 30-132 months. Three had SCCs staged as T1N0 oral tongue, alveolar ridge (gingival), and multifocal oral mucosa; one had a T2N0 oral tongue; and one had dysplasia. After excision, two were given radiation but recurred shortly thereafter; the others remain well and have had no further exposure to cytotoxic drugs, including PLD.

CONCLUSION

Awareness of this possible long-term complication during PLD treatment should enhance the likelihood of early detection of oral lesions in these patients. Decisions to continue maintenance PLD after complete response of the original cancer should perhaps consider the benefits of delaying ovarian cancer recurrence versus the possible risk for a secondary cancer.

Therapy-related leukaemia cutis: a review

Leukaemia cutis following chemotherapy for a malignancy is a multifactorial process that is dependent on the chemotherapeutic agent used, the dosing regimen, and the cumulative dose as well as potential contributing therapies such as radiation and possibly even hematopoietic support from granulocyte colony stimulating factor. In the right combination and in a patient with a conducive milieu of epigenetic factors, leukaemia can develop as a treatment complication. Leukaemia cutis is the specific infiltration of the skin by leukaemic cells and occurs most commonly when the underlying leukaemia is an acute myeloid leukaemia. Although it is well reviewed in the literature as a result of primary leukaemia, leukaemia cutis has only very rarely been reported in association with therapy-induced leukaemia. This article reviews the factors that contribute to therapy-related leukaemia and the development of leukaemia cutis.