Febrile neutrophilic dermatosis in acute myelogenous leukemia

A 50-year-old woman with acute myelogenous leukemia on two occasions had fever and exquisitely tender, warm, erythematous, indurated to frankly bullous plaques on the face and upper extremities. Histologically, the lesions showed rather dense dermal infiltrates of mature polymorphonuclear leukocytes; special stains for bacteria and fungi were negative, as were all cultures for infectious agents. The lesions did not respond to antibiotics but cleared rapidly with systemic steroid treatment. Febrile neutrophilic dermatosis of acute myelogenous leukemia is believed to be a nonspecific reaction to the underlying malignant disease process. By prompt recognition of this entity, prolonged expensive courses of antibiotics may be avoided.