PubMed1988
Skin changes associated with internal malignancies can be classified into five groups: 1) cutaneous metastasis from internal malignancies, 2) non-specific reactional skin changes caused by toxic or allergic processes due to these malignancies, including pruritus cutaneous, urticaria and so on, 3) specific skin changes or diseases closely related to the malignancies, including acanthosis nigricans, dermatomyositis, Leser- Trélat syndrome, 4) the syndrome caused by simultaneous effects of oncogenesis both on the skin and on the internal organs, including multiple Bowen's disease, and 5) congenital hereditary syndrome, including Gardner syndrome, Torre syndrome. It is appropriate for the cutaneous internal malignancy syndrome to include above groups 3) 4) 5), because of the close and specific interrelation between the skin changes and internal malignancies. Two cases of glucagonoma syndrome, 2 cases of dermatomyositis with malignancy and one case of Leser- Trélat syndrome were described as typical cutaneous-internal malignancy syndrome. Characteristics findings of these skin changes suggest the presence of particular internal malignancies in cases, and the study of the etiologic process of these skin changes will be useful in the basic oncological investigation.