Paraneoplastic cutaneous lupus secondary to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Sporadic subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) in an elderly man does not fit a typical demographic for the disease process. Using the McLean’s criteria we were able to establish a temporal relationship between the patient’s diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and his dermatosis, both of which responded to cytotoxic chemotherapy. The clinical presentation and progression of the clinical illness is supportive of a very unusual and not previously reported paraneoplastic SCLE secondary to esophageal SCC.