Abstract
Bullous pemphigoid is known as dermadrome coexisting with malignancies of visceral organs. A case of rectal cancer associated with bullous pemphigoid is reported. A 67-year-old man visited the hospital because of bloody diarrhea and multiple bullae of the whole body skin. Histopathological findings revealed eosinophilic infiltration in the bullae, and the deposition of immunofluorescenced IgG and C3 on the basement membrane was shown. A diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid was made. On the other hand, gastrointestinal examination offered a diagnosis of rectal cancer. The amputation of the rectum with partial left lobectomy for hepatic metastasis was performed. The histopathological findings were poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The skin lesions temporaly disappeared with adjuvant chemotherapy after the surgery.
Some causative relations between the rectal cancer and bullous pemphigoid are suggested, because excision of the tumor and postoperative chemotherapy provided a disappearance of bullae. If we encounter a case of bullous pemphigoid, thorough examination for detecting possible malignancies of visceral organs, especially a gastrointestinal cancer, is needed.
