Ophthalmic manifestations of acanthosis nigricans

A 77-year-old man had fleshy papillomatous lesions on his eyelid margins, which initially were accompanied by lesions on his lips and tongue and plaques on his scrotum, areolae, neck, axillae, and hands. He had had adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon and stomach. Based on the clinical findings and histopathologic evaluation of the eyelids (showing papillomatous changes with hyperkeratosis and mild acanthosis), the diagnosis of acanthosis nigricans was made. Acanthosis nigricans may be benign or malignant; in this patient it was malignant. The malignant form is usually of gastrointestinal origin, and in adults may be a marker for an occult malignancy.