title: Malignant acanthosis nigricans: an early diagnostic clue.
abstract: Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is characterized by velvety, hyperpigmented, verrucous, symmetric and occasionally pruritic plaques along with papillomatous lesions which have a special predilection for neck, axillae, groin, umbilicu and mucosal regions. Rarely, it presents as a paraneoplastic syndrome and prompts a thorough search for an internal malignancy. We present here a case of malignant acanthosis nigricans seen in an elderly patient who was found to have underlying adenocarcinoma of the lower end of esophagus. After diagnosing associated malignancy, he was referred for further evaluation and subsequent surgical resection of tumour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Rahman Medical Institute, Peshawar.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amjad
authors.lastname: Arfan-ul-Bari
authors.forename: Agha Ali
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D000052:Acanthosis Nigricans / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor