A clinical study of Henoch-Schönlein Purpura associated with malignancy

Abstract

Background Malignancy has been reported as a causative factor of cutaneous vasculitis, although only two retrospective epidemiological studies have analysed the association between Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) and malignancy to date. Objective To analyse the association between adult HSP and malignancy. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients and found 103 cases of HSP over the past 20 years. Fifty-three cases (aged ≥ 41 years) were categorized to two groups including 'with malignancy' or 'without malignancy', so that we could analyse the differences of clinical features between them. We also compared our study to previous reports. Results Twenty-three cases out of 53 patients exhibited underlying malignant tumours. We focused on nine patients in which malignant tumours were thought to be strongly associated. Seven of nine patients exhibited new metastatic lesions or died due to underlying cancer within 1-32 months. Conclusions An association between HSP and malignant disease might have important diagnostic and pathophysiologic implications. © 2009 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.