Cutaneous diseases preceding diagnoses of lymphoreticular malignancies

Abstract

Dermatology visits during a 5-year period before the diagnosis of lymphoreticular malignancy in 258 subjects were reviewed and compared with visits made by 258 randomly selected, age- and sex-matched control subjects in the same period. Six of the 96 patients with leukemia and none of their matched controls ( p < 0.05) had cutaneous malignancies 20 to 60 months before the diagnosis of leukemia. There was no increase in cutaneous malignancies preceding lymphoma. A common factor predisposing to both cutaneous malignancy and leukemia, such as a defect in immunosurveillance, is suggested.