Capillaroscopic pattern in paraneoplastic Raynaud’s phenomenon

Abstract

The capillaroscopic pattern in paraneoplastic Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) has not been investigated systematically and is not well-defined. Here, we present three case reports of patients with paraneoplastic rheumatic conditions, manifested with severe secondary RP with emphasis upon capillaroscopic findings. The first patient is a 58-year-old male with known psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, severe RP and scleroderma-like syndrome, resulting in a paraneoplastic syndrome in the context of a lung cancer. At capillaroscopic examination classic “scleroderma” pattern, an “early” type was found. The second patient is a 48-year-old woman with an abrupt onset of paraneoplastic dermatomyositis, severe RP, and a lung cancer. The capillaroscopic examination revealed frequent dilated and giant capillaries, hemorrhages and severe microvascular disarrangement—the so-called “scleroderma-like” pattern typical of the idiopathic forms of the disease. The third patient is a 56-year-old woman with paraneoplastic dermatomyositis, secondary RP, and thyroid cancer. The capillaroscopic examination showed dilated and giant capillaries, elongated capillaries, decreased mean capillary density with avascular areas, severe disarrangement, single hemorrhages, and clear evidence of neoangiogenesis. These capillaroscopic features characteristic of the “scleroderma-like” pattern are indistinguishable from those in idiopathic dermatomyositis like in the second case. Taken together, the cases illustrate the problem that capillaroscopic patterns in paraneoplastic RP in the context of scleroderma-like syndrome and dermatomyositis appear to be indistinguishable from the microvascular changes in the respective idiopathic rheumatic diseases.