Skip to main content

CASE REPORT article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Skin Cancer
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1415444

Psoriasis Complicated with Arsenical Keratosis and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report

Provisionally accepted
Qianwei Liu Qianwei Liu 1Yanping Bai Yanping Bai 2*Jie Zhang Jie Zhang 3Zhirong Qi Zhirong Qi 2*
  • 1 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
  • 2 China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 3 Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Chinese medicines for conditions such as psoriasis. Arsenic is a potent carcinogen, and squamous cell carcinoma is known to develop in arsenical keratosis. A 51-year-old male patient with a 30-year history of psoriasis and a history of arsenic poisoning presented with suppuration, ulceration, and pain one and a half years after trauma to the right thumb. These symptoms had recurred after wound debridement, lesion resection, and pedicle flap transplantation. Histopathological examination of the skin lesions had suggested squamous cell carcinoma, and subsequent PET-CT examination had shown proliferation and enlargement of lymph nodes. Following right forearm amputation and radiofrequency ablation additional lumps had been observed, but the patient had declined further surgery. Physical examination showed palpable enlarged axillary lymph nodes, which was confirmed by ultrasound. After three cycles of first-line immunotherapy with toripalimab combined with albumin paclitaxel and cisplatin chemotherapy, masses in the right upper arm were reduced. This case highlights the risks of arsenic-containing medicines used for treating psoriasis. Attention should be paid to the use of standardized treatments in psoriasis, as well as the probability of malignant transformation in arsenical keratosis.

    Keywords: Psoriasis, Arsenical keratosis, Squamous cell carcinoma, case report, malignant transformation

    Received: 10 Apr 2024; Accepted: 27 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liu, Bai, Zhang and Qi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yanping Bai, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, Beijing Municipality, China
    Zhirong Qi, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, Beijing Municipality, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.