A case of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue associated with erythroderma

Abstract

Erythroderma is a clinical syndrome characterized by erythema of the skin accompanied by variable degrees of infiltration and exfoliation. Erythroderma may result from different causes , including malignant tumors. Some reports suggest that erythroderma is a kind of paraneoplastic syndrome . Most erythrodermas accompanied by malignant tumors are associated with mesenchymal tumors . Association with epithelial tumors is rare. We report on a 60-year-old man with severely pigmented erythroderma associated with tongue carcinoma . He had a pruritic eruption on the legs in March 1999 . The eruption worsened and spread over the entire body.The lesion was diagnosed as erythroderma and was unresponsive to corticosteroid therapy . He was referred to our hospital because of an ulcer and pain of the tongue. Intraoral examination revealed an indurative ulcer and adjacent leukoplakia on the left side of the tongue. Various examinations confirmed tongue carcinoma (T2N0M0). Partial tongue resection and skin transplantation from the inguinal region was performed in June 1999. After removal of the tumor, the skin condition began to improve gradually and almost resolved . The survival rate of the skin graft was about 30 %, and the inguinal region was cured uneventfully .