Acquired reactive perforating collagenosis as a preceding manifestation of Hodgkin's lymphoma

A 40-year-old man presented with pruritic, multiple, variable-sized, erythematous umbilicated papules on the trunk and both extremities for 4 months. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma (stage IIA) after histopathologic examination of a neck mass that developed a month ago. A punch biopsy was performed on his right lower leg. Histological examination showed transepidermal elimination of the degenerated collagen. Masson's trichrome staining was performed to distinguish collagen fibers from the muscular tissue; using Masson's stain, the collagen appeared as a bluish color crossing from the dermis to the epidermis. The diagnosis of acquired reactive perforating collagenosis was made. The skin lesions showed much improvement after 6 cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine chemotherapy. Acquired perforating disorders are a group of cutaneous disorders that occur in adults with chronic kidney disease or diabetes mellitus. Cases of acquired perforating disorders associated with Hodgkin's lymphoma have been rarely reported in the English literature. To our knowledge, this is the first case of acquired reactive perforating collagenosis in a Korean patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma.