Poorly Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma Arising in Tattooed Skin

Introduction. Tattoos have increasingly become accepted by mainstream Western society. As a result, the incidence of tattoo-associated dermatoses is on the rise. The presence of a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in an old tattooed skin is of interest as it has not been previously docu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Deba P. Sarma, Renee B. Dentlinger, Amanda M. Forystek, Todd Stevens, Christopher Huerter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2010-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/431813
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Introduction. Tattoos have increasingly become accepted by mainstream Western society. As a result, the incidence of tattoo-associated dermatoses is on the rise. The presence of a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in an old tattooed skin is of interest as it has not been previously documented. Case Presentation. A 79-year-old white homeless man of European descent presented to the dermatology clinic with a painless raised nodule on his left forearm arising in a tattooed area. A biopsy of the lesion revealed a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma infiltrating into a tattoo. The lesion was completely excised and the patient remains disease-free one year later. Conclusion. All previous reports of squamous cell carcinomas arising in tattoos have been well-differentiated low-grade type or keratoacanthoma-type and are considered to be coincidental rather than related to any carcinogenic effect of the tattoo pigments. Tattoo-associated poorly differentiated invasive carcinoma appears to be extremely rare.
ISSN:1687-9627
1687-9635