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Oral erosive lichen planus associated with thymoma treated with etretinate
Author(s) -
Miyagaki Tomomitsu,
Sugaya Makoto,
Miyamoto Akie,
Nagata Mayumi,
Ichimura Yohei,
Mitsui Hiroshi,
Sato Shinichi
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
australasian journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.67
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1440-0960
pISSN - 0004-8380
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-0960.2011.00818.x
Subject(s) - medicine , thymoma , etretinate , thymectomy , pathological , pathology , oral lichen planus , immunofluorescence , dermatology , immunology , myasthenia gravis , antibody , psoriasis
ABSTRACT A 68‐year‐old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital with a 1‐year history of multiple erosions on the oral mucosa and a few pruritic, bean‐sized, reddish‐blue plaques on the body. Based on physical examination, pathological findings, and immunofluorescence findings, a diagnosis of lichen planus (LP) was made. Computed tomography scan revealed a thymoma. After thymectomy, cutaneous LP lesions subsided spontaneously. Oral lesions responded well to oral etretinate therapy. We speculate that direct tissue injury by CD8 + T cells, activated by abnormal regulation of lymphocytes within the thymus, may cause LP.