Acrokeratosis paraneoplastica with adenocarcinoma of the colon treated with topical tretinoin

Acrokeratosis paraneoplastica, or Bazex syndrome, is one of the paraneoplastic syndromes. The characteristic skin lesions include palmoplantar keratoderma, psoriasiform skin lesions, hyperpigmentation, and nail dystrophy. The most common associated neoplasms are squamous cell carcinoma of the upper respiratory tract and other kinds of tumors with cervical lymph node metastasis. A 63-year-old woman presented with an 11 month history of hyperkeratotic lesions on the palms and soles. Ten months before she had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the colon and undergone a left hemicolectomy. We report a case of acrokeratosis paraneoplastica associated with colon cancer which persisted after removal of the primary cancer, but resolved with topical tretinoin treatment.