Paraneoplastic disorders

Abstract

Paraneoplastic dermatoses are a heterogeneous group of rare reactive skin and mucous membrane manifestations associated with malignant tumors of the internal organs. Paraneoplasias are not directly related to the invasion of malignant tumors or their metastases in the skin, but are based on a distant effect of the neoplastic process through complex pathophysiological mechanisms. One distinguishes between obligate (in more than 95% of cases association with malignant neoplasia) and facultative (in 3-30% association with malignant neoplasia) cutaneous paraneoplasias. The presence of paraneoplastic skin symptoms or signs can lead to an early diagnosis of a malignant disease, and a recurrence of paraneoplasia can indicate a tumor recurrence. The example of paraneoplasias shows the importance of an appropriate dermatological diagnosis and the importance of an interdisciplinary approach.