Case report
Folliculitis-perifolliculitis related to erlotinib therapy spares previously irradiated skin

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2008.07.057Get rights and content

Erlotinib, a specific epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is used to treat various metastatic cancers. It is known to cause an acneiform rash. Herein, we report a case where the rash spared the previous radiotherapy field. A limitation of this study is that it is an anecdotal case report. Further research into the pathologic process of the rash is warranted to understand the reason for its absence in the irradiated skin.

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Case report

A 43-year-old male resented with a 3-month history of a cough with intermittent hemoptysis that did not respond to an initial course of antibiotics. A chest radiograph showed right upper lobe consolidation. Subsequent bronchoscopy showed obstruction of the right upper lobe bronchus with extrinsic compression. Histology was consistent with primary adenocarcinoma of the lung. A staging computed tomography (CT) scan showed this to be a T4N2M0 tumor. He was treated with two cycles of cisplatin and

Discussion

Erlotinib is an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor which acts by targeting the overexpressed EGF receptors on cancer cells.

EGFR is a growth factor receptor that induces cell differentiation and proliferation upon activation through the binding of one of its ligands. The receptor is located at the cell surface and is expressed in the hair follicles, sebaceous glands, epithelium, and the basal layer of the epidermis, where proliferating keratinocytes are located.1, 2 The growth factor receptor is

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Conflicts of interest: None declared.

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