Skin findings in internal malignant diseases

PURPOSE: A skin finding may be an indicator of internal malignant diseases. In this report, we investigated the skin findings of the cases who have had internal malignancy within the last 1 month. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven hundred cases who were diagnosed as internal malignancy and who did not have any treatment for the malignancy were enrolled in our study between February 2002 and September 2003. A form was completed for all of the cases, including name, surname, and the carcinoma type. All cases were examined in detail, and the observed skin findings or dermatosis was recorded. RESULTS: The most frequent skin findings among the cases were tinea pedis/onychomycosis, followed by xerosis and pruritus. The skin findings in terms of frequency were determined mostly in hematological malignancies (68.96%). CONCLUSION: We would like to emphasize that the skin is an indicator of the functions of internal organs and their disorders.