title: Spectrum of mucocutaneous manifestations in an Asian cohort of patients with leukemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Literature on cutaneous manifestations of leukemia is limited.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the pattern of mucocutaneous manifestations in adult Asian patients with leukemia and to establish their relation with the leukemia type.
  
  
  METHODS
  After previous consent, 196 consecutively registered patients with leukemia aged ≥18 years were recruited. All patients were prospectively followed for 3 months to evaluate the patterns of mucocutaneous involvement. The mucocutaneous manifestations were categorized into specific lesions with leukemic infiltration and non-specific lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-nine (40.3%) of 196 (males 128 and females 68) recruited patients showed one or more mucocutaneous manifestations. The total number of complaints observed was 87 with mean number of dermatoses per patient being 0.44. Specific manifestations (leukemia cutis) were present in six (3.06%) and nonspecific mucocutaneous manifestations in 73 (37.2%, reactive dermatoses n = 21 and infections n = 52). Cutaneous viral infections were significantly associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (P < 0.005). Antiviral prophylaxis with acyclovir significantly reduced the incidence of varicella-zoster infection (P = 0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cutaneous manifestations are common in Asian patients with leukemia, and a thorough cutaneous examination will aid in their management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Saurabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Pankaj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dogra
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Keshavamurthy
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6323-4988
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vinay
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Amrinder J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kanwar
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Uma N
authors.initials: UN
authors.lastname: Saikia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015994:Incidence; D007938:Leukemia / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology*; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D017254:Leukemic Infiltration / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult