Human immunodeficiency virus-positive secondary syphilis mimicking cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Malignant syphilis or lues maligna is a severe form of secondary syphilis that was commonly reported in the pre-antibiotic era, and has now reemerged with the advent of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. However, the characteristic histopathological findings of malignant syphilis remain controversial. The aim of this case report was to clarify the clinical and histopathological findings of HIV-positive malignant secondary syphilis. A Japanese man in his forties complained of fever, skin lesions, headache, and myalgia without lymphadenopathy during the previous 4 weeks. The skin lesions manifested as erythematous, nonhealing, ulcerated papules scattered on his trunk, extremities, palm, and face. Although the skin lesions were suspected to be cutaneous T-cell lymphomas on histological analyses, they lacked T-cell receptor Jγ rearrangement; moreover, immunohistochemical analyses confirmed the presence of spirochetes. The patient was administered antibiotics and anti-retroviral therapy, which dramatically improved the symptoms. On the basis of these observations of the skin lesions, we finally diagnosed the patient with HIV-associated secondary syphilis that mimicked cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The patient's systemic CD4+ lymphocyte count was very low, and the infiltrate was almost exclusively composed of CD8+ atypical lymphocytes; therefore, the condition was easily misdiagnosed as cutaneous lymphoma. Although the abundance of plasma cells is a good indicator of malignant syphilis on skin histological analyses, in some cases, the plasma cell count may be very low. Therefore, a diagnosis of malignant secondary syphilis should be considered before making a diagnosis of primary cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphoma or lymphoma associated with HIV infection.

[A case of disseminated bone marrow carcinosis with disseminated intravascular coagulation successfully controlled with S-1 after total gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer].

Bone marrow carcinosis due to gastric cancer with disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC)occurs suddenly, progresses rapidly, and has a very poor prognosis. In addition, physical status tends to be bad at the time of the episode, and palliative care is generally selected as the treatment method. The case was a 70-year-old woman who underwent total gastrectomy for scirrhous stomach cancer five years previously. She recently noticed gingival hemorrhage, and was referred to our hospital by a nearby doctor. As a result of her examination, she was diagnosed with disseminated bone marrow carcinosis as a postoperative recurrence of gastric cancer that resulted in DIC. We transfused blood platelets and fresh frozen plasma into her, and controlled the bleeding tendency temporarily. She was started on oral administration of S-1 for improvement of DIC, and the therapy was successful without loss of QOL. It is easy to continue S-1 therapy as chemotherapy in the outpatient department, because it is a matter of internal medicine.