Case Report
Year: 2017 | Month: February | Volume: 7 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 342-347
Extensive Acanthosis Nigricans: A Clue to an Asymptomatic, Undiagnosed Malignancy
Dr. Ghanshyam Kumar Verma1, Dr. Aditi Prasher2, Dr. Ajay Kumar2, Dr. Ranu Rattan3, Dr. Gita Ram Tegta4, Dr. Madan Kaushik5
1Associate Professor Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy,
2Ex Resident, 3Ex Sr. Resident, 4Professor Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy,
Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, HP
5Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, HP.
Corresponding Author: Dr. Ghanshyam Kumar Verma
ABSTRACT
Acanthosis Nigricans (AN) is a symmetrical, hyper pigmented velvety cutaneous thickening that can occur on any part of the body, but characteristically affects the axillae, nape and side of the neck, groin, antecubital and popliteal surfaces and umbilical area. Acanthosis nigricans is associated with both benign and malignant conditions. The majority (80%) are either idiopathic or associated with benign conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and congenital syndromes. Different tumors have been described with malignant acanthosis nigricans with adenocarcinoma being the commonest type, of which 70-90% is intra-abdominal out of which 55-61% are gastric adenocarcinomas. Malignant AN secondary to an internal malignancy is of sudden onset and rapidly progressive and pruritic, but is otherwise clinically indistinguishable from benign AN. We report a case of extensive acanthosis nigricans with an asymptomatic, undiagnosed adenocarcinoma stomach.
Key words: Malignant Acanthosis Nigricans, Adenocarcinoma Stomach, Tripe Palm, Paraneoplastic.