Palliative treatment of paraneoplastic acanthosis nigricans and oral florid papillomatosis with retinoids.

Malignant acanthosis nigricans (MAN) with oral florid papillomatosis is a rare paraneoplastic condition affecting the skin and mucocutaneous tissues associated with an underlying malignancy. It is characterized by proliferation of keratinocytes resulting in papillomatous change and hyperpigmentation of the skin and multiple confluent warty or verrucous lesions of the oral mucous membranes. The oral involvement can interfere with the patient's ability to eat and drink. There is no specific therapy for this complication. Treatment of the underlying malignancy can lead to improvement of symptoms, but the degree of improvement varies. Here, the authors present a case of MAN with oral florid papillomatosis associated with gastric adenocarcinoma that was treated with oral retinoids resulting in significant clinical improvement of the hyperkeratosis and hyperpigmentation as well as improved patient functionality.