title: Melanophagic dermatitis and panniculitis. A condition revealing an occult metastatic malignant melanoma.
abstract: A 32-year-old woman had a dozen slate-blue cutaneous macules of recent onset. Histologic examination of multiple skin biopsies revealed melanophagic dermatitis and panniculitis accompanying a few occult metastases of malignant melanoma. The primary site of the neoplasm remained undiscovered. The pathogenesis of melanophagic dermatitis and panniculitis is presumably related to the spontaneous regression of metastases.
authors.affiliation: Service of Dermatopathology, University of Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Piérard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006644:Histiocytes / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D009365:Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary; D015434:Panniculitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*