Disseminated ulcerating lupus panniculitis emerging under interferon therapy of hairy cell leukemia: treatment or disease-related?

We report a 43-year old woman, who underwent therapy with interferon-α for hairy cell leukemia. During interferon-α therapy she developed multiple subcutaneous swellings, accompanied by fever and fatigue. A skin biopsy revealed lobular, T-cell lymphocytic panniculitis. In conjunction with the clinical and immunological findings the diagnosis of lupus panniculitis was made and interferon-α therapy stopped. Initially she responded well to oral prednisone and hydroxychloroquine, but after several months she became resistant to it. Her condition worsened and she developed skin ulcers in the inflamed regions. Only with leukemia-targeted therapy, using cladribine and rituximab, could her skin condition be controlled, suggesting hairy cell leukemia as an additional trigger of the lupus panniculitis. Our report is the first one to show induction of lupus panniculitis during interferon therapy of hairy cell leukemia and its presumable continued exacerbation by the latter. PMID: 24656265 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Dermatol Online J - Category: Dermatology Authors: Tags: Dermatol Online J Source Type: research