Migratory necrolytic dermatitis presenting after cephalosporin administration in a patient with a pancreatic head mass.

Migratory necrotizing dermatitis is one of the most distressing presenting symptoms of glucagonomas. This rare functioning pancreatic endocrine tumor is third in incidence after insulinomas and gastrinomas and is often malignant at the time of diagnosis. Elevated serum glucagon levels cause decreased amino acid levels which is believed to be the principal cause of the dermatitis. Other symptoms include anemia, visual scotomata and mild diabetes mellitus. Medical treatment alone including octreotide and amino acid supplementation has been reported to eliminate the dermatitis. Nonetheless, surgical resection or debulking remains the definitive treatment when possible. Because of its rarity, diagnosis may be delayed by years accounting for the high rate of metastasis at presentation. Reported here is the case of a 77-year-old man who presented with a migratory necrotizing dermatitis after antibiotic treatment and whose diagnosis of a glucagonoma was then delayed for over 1 year. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel