Epidermal skin tumours in leprosy

Leprosy Mailing List, April 15th, 2008

Ref.: Epidermal skin tumours in leprosy
From: Warren G., Sidney, Australia


Dear Salvatore,

I cannot resist throwing my penny worth into the ring.

I have been working in leprosy for almost 50 years, right round the world. I have treated thousands, seen may be even be tens of thousands of leprosy affected persons, at all stages of leprosy, in consultation in order to do reconstructive surgery, often in situations where there is unlikely to be another surgeon who would remove such lesions.

The only basal cell carcinoma that I can remember seeing in the leprosy centres, was on the nose of a patient who was I think not even a suspect of leprosy and got to me because I was the only one who visited that medical centre who might be able to do something to repair the ”defect”.

By contrast I have seen many squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) that have developed in long term ulcers, especially on feet and legs. Some SCC were only diagnosed because of the occurrence of secondaries, especially in lymph-nodes in groin causing oedema pain etc. In Hong Kong, an autopsy was performed on every patient who died while an inpatient and we rarely found evidence of malignancy; certainly not of skin lesions due to malignancy.

Thanks for all you do – it is certainly must be a big help to those who are isolated. Or need unusual advice. It is not what you know but who you know that counts in so many circumstances.

Best regards,

Grace Warren