Paraneoplastic type of acanthosis nigricans in patient with hepatocellular carcinoma.

UNLABELLED: Paraneoplastic acanthosis nigricans is connected with malignancies in adults in almost 100% of cases. The typical skin changes include: thickening and hyperpigmentation in typical localization with mucocutaneous involvement.

PURPOSE: The authors report a case of a malignant type of acanthosis nigricans in 42-year-old female patient with hepatocellular carcinoma.

CASE REPORT: First skin lesions appeared in 2000. The patient died within 22 months (of the first appearance of skin symptoms), because of hepatocellular carcinoma. Herein we report the clinical picture, skin involvement and diagnostic procedures in acanthosis nigricans.

CONCLUSIONS: Paraneoplastic type of acanthosis nigricans--in patient with hepatocellular carcinoma is not frequently reported in the literature. In the aspect of clinical occurrence of skin lesions suggesting acanthosis nigricans the diagnostics should be focused on internal malignancies.