[Acquired paraneoplastic hypertrichosis lanuginosa]

Juan Sánchez-Estella1, Manuela Yuste, Juan C Santos

  • 1Unidad de Dermatología, Hospital Virgen de la Concha, Zamora, Spain.

Actas Dermo-Sifiliograficas
|February 16, 2006
PubMed

Acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa, an infrequent, paraneoplastic process, consists of the rapid development of lanugo-type hair, primarily on the face. We describe a 50-year-old woman with a 4-month case of hypertrichosis on the face and upper body, and weight loss over the last 6 months, in whom an inoperable squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix was discovered. Hypertrichosis lanuginosa is an indicator of a poor prognosis. It is associated with tumors in any location, but most often with lung and colorectal tumors. This is the first case associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.