Flagellate rash: An unusual complication of bleomycin therapy – A case report with brief review of literature

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced skin rashes are common toxicities encountered which require careful assessment and evaluation as rashes could be a manifestation of primary malignancy itself and a variety of drugs used in combination further complicate the clinical scenario. Bleomycin is an anticancer antibiotic derived from Streptomyces verticillus and has been commonly used in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease, germ cell tumors and for pleurodesis. There are various dermatological adverse effects of bleomycin which have been previously reported in literature including skin peeling, hyperkeratosis, nail bed changes, Raynaud's phenomenon, and palmoplantar desquamation. Bleomycin-induced skin rashes are seen infrequently now a day due to its declining use in clinical practice. We report here a 29-year-old male with Stage III germ cell tumor who developed widespread flagellate rash after receiving 3 cycles of bleomycin-based chemotherapy which responded to treatment with local steroids and omission of bleomycin from further chemotherapy cycles.

Bleomycin – induced flagellate dermatitis: two cases report

“…Clinically, the patient can be asymptomatic or may present generalized pruritus followed by the onset of erythematous linear streaks which progress to typical flagellate hyperpigmentation. The lesions can occur anywhere over face, neck and trunk [6]. Histopathological finding is not specific.…”