Leukemia Cutis: A Report of 17 Cases and a Review of the Literature

Dermatologic manifestations of leukemia can be both specific and nonspecific (e.g., opportunistic infections, purpura and ecchymosis, Sweet syndrome). Leukemia cutis refers to the infiltration of the skin with neoplastic leukocytes and its early diagnosis has important prognostic implications. We report on 17 cases of leukemia cutis seen in our department between 1994 and 2014 and describe the characteristics of the patients (age, sex, medical history), the morphology of the lesions, and associations with systemic disease. Most of the patients were male and the most common associated malignancy was acute myeloid leukemia. The most frequent dermatologic manifestations were nodules or erythematous papules on the limbs. We describe our experience with the diagnosis and management of leukemia cutis over a period of 20 years and emphasize the importance of clinical signs in the early diagnosis of this condition.