1987 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 153-161
It is generally accepted that herpes zoster, localized or disseminated, is one of the dermadrome (viscerocutaneous syndrome), which often combine with malignant complications such as visceral malignant tumor, leukemia, malignant lymphoma and so forth. However, as far as concerning to the general outpatients, the rate of the occurence of malignant complications in the patients with herpes zoster is not very high.
A rapid and reliable method for screening the malignancy in these patients with herpes zoster is required, therefore, instead of that all the patients should be received cumbersome examinations.
In the present paper, the author tried to examine two kinds of skin tests, a tuberculin test and a 2, 4 dinitro-l-chlorobenzene (DNCB) induced cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction, if these tests are effective in this respect. The results showed that the risk of complicated malignancy was distinctly high when both skin tests were negative, whereas the risk of malignancy was low when either one of the tests was negative.
It may be conculuded that it is better to do both the tuberculin and the DNCB skin tests to all of the patients with herpes zoster, and only when both tests are negative, the detailed examinations for malignancy and their follow-up should be done.
