Jl. Michel et al., METASTATIC SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA IN A P ATIENT WITH IDIOPATHIC CD4-LYMPHOCYTOPENIA( T), Annales de dermatologie et de venereologie, 123(8), 1996, pp. 478-482
Introduction. Skin cancers are more frequent and more aggressive in im
munosuppressed patients. Case report. A 58-year-old man was seen in Ja
nuary 1994 for squamous cell carcinoma of the right shoulder which had
grown to 7 x 7 cm in the last 5 months. The patient had a past histor
y of surgical exeresis of 5 squamous cell carcinomas and 3 basal cell
carcinomas. Despite complete exeresis, the disease spread to localized
then diffuse skin metastases. Acitretine and alpha-interferon were un
effective. Polychemotherapy stabilized the situation but several bronc
hopulmonary infections with atypical germs led to death (in February 1
995). The patient had CD4 lymphocytopenia with a count < 100/mm(3) in
January 1994 of unknown origin (viral infection was eliminated). Discu
ssion. Our patient had idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia. In 40 p. 100 of
the cases CD4 lymphocytopenia is caused by AIDS and in 53 p. 100 by o
ther diseases, especially skin diseases including Kaposi syndrome, myc
osis fungoides, squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma. The cutaneous c
arcinomas which often develop in AIDS patients with low CD4 counts are
usually less aggressive than in our patient. Certain neoplasia could
be the cause of the lymphopenia. CD4 counts are usually more variable
and lymphopenia of shorter duration in other etiologies.