piperidines and Acantholysis

Grover's disease (GD), or transient acantholytic dermatosis, is a persistent recurrent dermatosis that usually occurs in men older than 50 years. Rare cases of GD and hematologic malignancy in the same cutaneous biopsy specimen have been reported. We report a case of GD in association with leukemia cutis. A 72-year-old man with a history of myelodysplastic syndrome presented with numerous pruritic papules on the torso, which were clinically diagnosed as GD. A skin biopsy revealed foci of suprabasal acantholysis and dyskeratosis consistent with GD and dense aggregates of mononuclear atypical cells in the superficial dermis consistent with leukemia cutis. Direct immunofluorescence was negative. This case illustrates the need to consider a diagnostic skin biopsy in any patient who presents with classic clinical findings of GD if there is any indication that the patient may be at higher risk for a hematologic malignancy.

Topics: Acantholysis; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Biopsy; Dermis; Fatal Outcome; Flavonoids; Humans; Hydroxamic Acids; Ichthyosis; Leukemia; Leukemic Infiltration; Male; Myelodysplastic Syndromes; Piperidines; Salvage Therapy; Skin Neoplasms; Vorinostat