title: Cutaneous ulcerations on hands and heels secondary to long-term hydroxyurea treatment.
abstract: Hydroxyurea is a chemotherapeutic agent used to treat myeloproliferative disorders and other non-neoplastic conditions. Cutaneous side-effects have been described in long-term therapy with hydroxyurea and include xerosis, hyperpigmentation, skin atrophy, erythema, alopecia, skin tumours and ulceration of the skin, particularly of the legs. We present a 71-year old patient with chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) who developed extremely painful ulcers on the hands and heels as well as skin tumours while on long-term therapy with hydroxyurea. The ulcers were resistant to therapy but healed three months after discontinuation of hydroxyurea therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany. sarah.friedrich@gmx.de
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raff
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landthaler
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karrer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005533:Foot Dermatoses / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006918:Hydroxyurea