Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · May 1995
Case ReportsTreatment of cutaneous and pulmonary sarcoidosis with thalidomide.
Many therapeutic agents have been proposed for treatment of steroid-resistant sarcoidosis. Because administration of low doses of thalidomide has been successful in treating other inflammatory diseases, it was used in a patient with systemic sarcoidosis who was unresponsive to corticosteroids and in a patient with pulmonary sarcoidosis, in whom Kaposi's sarcoma developed after a course of corticosteroid therapy. Thalidomide, 200 mg/day for 2 weeks followed by 100 mg/day for 11 weeks, was given. ⋯ No relapse has occurred. Thalidomide, particularly because of its inhibition of the macrophage function, may be a useful alternative therapy in steroid-resistant cases. In addition, the correlation between the angiotensin-converting enzyme level and the clinical improvement observed in our patients suggests a direct parallel between angiotensin-converting enzyme and the activity of the granulomatous process.
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Zosteriform metastasis is a rare form of tumor spread to the skin that most often arises from an internal carcinoma or a hematologic malignancy. We describe a 29-year-old woman with malignant melanoma of the back in whom zosteriform metastases developed along the fifth thoracic dermatome.