A 14-year paraneoplastic rash: urticarial vasculitis and dermal binding bullous pemphigoid secondary to chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

A 72-year-old woman with a 14-year history of urticarial vasculitis (UV) and a 13-year history of bullous pemphigoid (BP) presented with associated progressive chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Both skin conditions responded poorly to treatment, until chemotherapy for CLL was commenced. The skin features showed a clear paraneoplastic course, resolving with chemotherapy and recurring when the CLL relapsed and the lymphocyte count rose above 5 × 10(9)/L. No case of UV secondary to CLL, and very few cases of BP related to CLL have been reported, and no paraneoplastic rash of any type lasting 14 years has been reported previously.