MULTICENTRIC RETICULOHISTIOCYTOSIS ASSOCIATED WITH RECURRENT BREAST-CARCINOMA

Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH) is a rare systemic disorder t hat. most often affects women in the fourth to fifth decades of life a nd is characterized by widespread cutaneous papules and nodules, often associated with a destructive arthritis. The characteristic histologi c feature of the skin lesions, and of other affected organs, is the pr esence of histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells containing abunda nt eosinophilic cytoplasm with a ''ground glass appearance.'' Approxim ately 30% of the patients have an underlying malignancy suggesting MRH may be a paraneoplastic phenomenon. We describe a case of MRH associa ted with recurrent, metastatic breast carcinoma.