Introduction: Bazex paraneoplastic acrokeratosis remains a therapeutic challenge when the cancer cannot be treated. We report the third patient in which a complete clearance of the lesions was obtained with oral acitretine.
Case report: A 67 year-old patient had Bazex paraneoplastic acrokeratosis. Despite a complete cancer screening, no cancer was found. A cervical lymph node metastasis was treated with surgery and radiotherapy. Because the cutaneous lesions got worse after this treatment, the patient received oral acitretine. A complete clearing of the lesions was observed within 2 months.
Discussion: Only 2 similar cases have been reported to our knowledge. The comparison with these 2 cases supports the efficacy of oral retinoids in this disease. The search and the treatment of the cancer remain compulsory.
Conclusion: In some definite cases, oral retinoids can be proposed as a treatment of cutaneous lesions in Bazex paraneoplastic acrokeratosis.