Sebaceous warts on face

[clifflee]

Diagnosed with a 8 mm nodule on lung, too small to do a biopsy, so it goes on watch and weight with a new ct scan in 3 months.

I have several sebaceous warts appearing on my face, is this connected to CLL ..... anyone else with this?

[cllady01 Former Volunteer]

Not something presented before, but skin is our largest organ and skin cancers can be a problem. It would be a good practice to have a Dermatologist on your team---not one looking at superficial stuff, but one dedicated to looking for what may be a cancer starting to form.

From what I read about Seborrheic keratoses, which sounds like what you have, it is important not to scratch/rub/or pick at them. We all know that from teen years of acne, but it is certainly something most of us find we want to do.

Clifflee, you most likely have several Drs. on your team with your history, but a dermatologist is something, I hope you will add for a bit more protection.

[Senecio]

I have both of the issues you mention. My GP said that seborrheic keratosis happened in older people. He put the cause down to Anno Domini.

With regard to the lung nodule; I had a series of X-rays and CT scans, culminating last year in a PET-CT scan (to discover if it was metabolically active, which would indicate cancer). It wasn't, so I had another CT scan to check after a year (done in January this year) - still O.K., then another further CT scan in two years time. It all seems over the top to me, but my CLL consultant says it is standard practice.

I don't think either of them are necessarily caused by CLL, but secondary cancers do occur with CLL, hence the extra care taken.

Take care,

John

[clifflee in reply to Senecio]

Thanks for your answer it’s quite reassuring.

[lankisterguy Volunteer]

Hi clifflee,

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I have had a rash on my legs, arms and torso (mostly small light red dots connected in a web pattern –most days no itch or discomfort) since 2006 before my CLL diagnosis in 2008.

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I also have lots of seborrheic keratosis that seem to wax and wane along with the red dots and rashes. Each of the 4 times I was treated for my CLL it got visibly worse, but Ibrutinib made it much worse- angry red & itchy.

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Over the years I've had many biopsies; dermatologists and pathologists postulated Psoriasis, Eczema, drug reactions, and more recently CTCL or Mycosis Fungoides.

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The common result from a CLL expert pathologist that ran flow cytometry on the biopsy, was finding many T-cells and CLL cells in a specific layer of my skin. But the puzzle is why they are there.

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My most successful treatment was Photo therapy (lightbox treatment with UVB rays 3X per week- similar to a stand up tanning bed, but with medical precision on light frequency and duration).

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In winter - dry cold weather, if it becomes itchy and bothersome, I use Triamcinolone Acetonide (prescription steroid cream) for 2-3 days then switch to a good moisturizer like CeraVe until the rash is well controlled.

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The most recent diagnosis by a research pathologist eliminated CTCL and its cousins, but attributed it to T-cell Dyscrasia.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/176...

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Our archives has 500 replies that mention skin issues and CLL:

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

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The NIH has several papers suggesting that CLL itself leads to skin issues, as noted here:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/174...

SNIP: "Cutaneous lesions occur in up to 25% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These can be caused by either cutaneous seeding by leukemic cells (leukemia cutis, LC) and other malignant diseases or nonmalignant disorders. Skin infiltration with B-lymphocyte CLL manifests as solitary, grouped, or generalized papules, plaques, nodules, or large tumors.....The most common secondary cutaneous changes seen in CLL are those of infectious or hemorrhagic origin. Other secondary lesions present as vasculitis, purpura, generalized pruritus, exfoliative erythroderma, and paraneoplastic pemphigus. An exaggerated reaction to an insect bite and insect bite-like reactions have been also observed".

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I suggest you have a good cancer oriented dermatologist do a full body inspection of your skin every 6 months (we get skin cancer at 5x to 8x more often than non-CLL people- and the only way to detect it early is get an expert examination) and helping your treat your sores will be part of that care.

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Len

[clifflee in reply to lankisterguy]

Thanks fir the info, one day someone will link all these symptoms together and hopefully find a cure, Cliff

[country76]

I also have some Seborrheic Keratosis on my neckline and back. Not a lot. Some on torso. My recent lung CT showed a very small dot, too small to see for a biopsy they are watching. It is a perfect circle. Hardly noticeable in the CT.