LICHEN-PLANUS ASSOCIATED WITH NEOPLASIA - A CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNE-RESPONSE TO TUMOR-ANTIGENS

Background: Individual case reports have suggested an occasional association of lichen planus with internal malignancy. bjective: Our purpose was to describe five patients with a neoplastic disease in whom lichen planus developed. Methods: Serologic and immunopathologic studies were conducted. Results: No evidence of autoantibody production characteristic of paraneoplastic pemphigus was found, and antibodies reactive with basal cell keratinocytes were not detected. Conclusion: Lichen planus may be rarely induced by neoplasia. A cell-mediated immune reaction possibly causes this phenomenon.