No abstract

Leukemia cutis refers to the infiltration of the skin with leukemia cells. It is a rare extramedullary manifestation of leukemia, but it is a specific sign of disease progression and bad prognosis. Cases of leukemia cutis in sites of skin trauma or surgical scars have been described, but there are very few cases reported in literature. We report a case of a 65-year-old male previously diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia that was showing clinical signs of progression to acute myeloid leukemia. He underwent right inguinal herniorrhaphy three months before and was showing poor wound healing. Surgical site infection was suspected, since blood tests showed prolonged neutropenia, so surgical wound debridement was performed. Pathological findings of removed tissue indicated infiltration by leukemic cells, which led to the diagnosis of leukemia cutis, not suspected until that moment. Therefore, we conclude that an exhaustive skin examination (especially in the presence of skin trauma or surgical scars), should be performed in patients with confirmed or suspected diagnosis of leukemia. Moreover, the possible diagnosis of leukemia cutis should be considered in leukemia patients who present cutaneous infectious complications or suboptimal healing following accidental skin trauma or surgery. In these cases, complementary anatomopathological studies should be performed.