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Case report
Atypical neutrophilic panniculitis as presentation of BCR-ABL1-negative chronic myeloid leukaemia
  1. Paolo Fraticelli1,
  2. Devis Benfaremo2,
  3. Marco Cardinali2 and
  4. Armando Gabrielli1,2
  1. 1 Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona Umberto I G M Lancisi G Salesi, Ancona, Italy
  2. 2 Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Molecolari, Università Politecnica delle Marche Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Ancona, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Dr Paolo Fraticelli; paolo.fraticelli{at}ospedaliriuniti.marche.it

Abstract

We report the case of an otherwise healthy 60-year-old man presenting with fever, leucocytosis and a painful swelling of the right calf. We initially performed cultural and cytological examination of the popliteal fossa mass, but the results were disappointingly inconclusive. The subsequent development of several erythematous subcutaneous nodules, rapidly evolving to broad ulcerative lesions, prompted us to reconsider the clinical setting as a whole, which included fever, marked leucocytosis and multiple subcutaneous nodules. A biopsy of the ulcerative lesions finally led to the diagnosis of neutrophilic panniculitis, which was sustained by a hybrid myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative disorder like BCR-ABL1-negative atypical chronic myeloid leukaemia. The patient was initially treated with high-dose intravenous corticosteroids, resulting in a dramatic improvement of the skin lesions and normalisation of blood tests. Azacytidine treatment was subsequently started, and the haematological disease remained stable.

  • dermatology
  • haematology (incl blood transfusion)

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Footnotes

  • Contributors PF, DB, MC and AG followed the patient, drafted the manuscript and revised it for important intellectual content. All the authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests Not required.

  • Patient consent for publication Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.