Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine (Aug 2023)

Leser-Trélat Sign as a Marker for Underlying Pancreatic Cancer

  • Kalpit Modi,
  • Richard Chen,
  • Layla Abubshait

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5811/cpcem.1248
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 3

Abstract

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Case Presentation: Early diagnosis and rapid treatment of cancer is essential for good clinical outcomes for patients. In this case, an 85-year-old man presented with failure to thrive and was noted to have rapid-onset, multiple seborrheic keratoses (Leser-Trélat sign) on his chest and back. He was ultimately diagnosed with pancreatic cancer using computed tomography. Discussion: Leser-Trélat sign is a rare cutaneous marker for underlying malignancy. Identification of this sign can help guide diagnostic imaging and lab work to identify an occult internal malignancy, resulting in more rapid diagnosis, earlier treatment, and potentially better clinical outcomes.