Acquired Hypertrichosis Lanuginosa

Abstract

A 32-year-old Thai woman developed acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa with generalized lanugo hair, deeply furrowed tongue, and keratosis pilaris. She had metastatic adenocarcinoma of the liver. A review of world literature reveals 24 cases of which 22 were associated with proven malignancies. Acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa is almost always a cutaneous sign of internal cancer.

Clinical and pathologic findings of paraneoplastic dermatoses

“…Hypertrichosis lanuginosa acquisita has a female predominance. 102,103 In 73% of the cases, this condition appeared in women between the ages of 40 and 70 years. 104 Clinical presentation.…”

“…By contrast, the sudden appearance of lanugo hair later in life may signal malignancy. 102 Demographics. Hypertrichosis lanuginosa acquisita has a female predominance.…”

“…A review of 24 cases revealed that at least 22 were associated with malignancies. 102 In men, the most common associated neoplasm is lung cancer, followed by colorectal cancer. In women, the most common is colorectal cancer, followed by lung and breast cancer.…”

Rectal cancer associated with acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa as a possible cutaneous marker of internal malignancy

“…Acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa is frequently associated with internal malignancy, with sporadic reports of acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa being associated with such malignancies (as colorectal cancer and lung cancer). [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The present case was associated with rectal cancer, and the patient had noticed hypertrichosis 4 months before visiting our hospital. We suggest that this phenomenon is useful as a skin marker of malignancy.…”

“…[1][2][3] Most cases are associated with malignant tumors. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] We experienced a case of acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa associated with rectal cancer. We present and discuss the case, since this phenomenon has received little attention in the field of gastroenterology.…”