Malignant acanthosis nigricans associated with adenocarcinoma of the prostate

We report a case of malignant acanthosis nigricans, which presented as severe progressive thickening of the skin, tripe palms and cutaneous papillomatosis. The patient did not complain of any other symptoms, and it was the nature of the skin involvement that prompted us to hunt for the underlying neoplasm, an adenocarcinoma of the prostate with multiple bone metastases.

The characteristic features of malignant acanthosis nigricans, which help in selecting the patients for further evaluation from the large number of patients who present with acanthosis, are discussed.