What does a Leukemia Rash look like?
Many people who have leukemia end up with a rash or other similar skin issues at some point. A skin rash might be triggered by an infection or cancer medications or stem from the blood cancer itself.
Whether you or a loved one has been diagnosed with leukemia or you’re concerned an unexplained rash could be a sign of cancer, it’s helpful to know what a leukemia rash looks like and how it compares to other skin disorders related to this type of blood cancer.
This article explains what issues can lead to a rash and what each leukemia-related skin disorder looks like.
What Is a Leukemia Rash?
Leukemia rash is an umbrella term for any skin rash caused by the disease or its treatment. But there are actually several potential rashes and rash-like skin disorders associated with leukemia.
In general, a skin rash is characterized by redness and irritation. The skin might feel itchy and swollen. It can also have a bumpy or scaly texture.
So, what does a leukemia rash look like? The appearance depends on what’s causing the skin to react.
Causes of Skin Disorders Related to Leukemia
If a leukemia patient notices a traditional rash on their skin – a patch of redness that suddenly appears on one area – it’s likely caused by an infection, which is a complication of leukemia. It might also be a side effect of certain drugs used to treat blood cancers.
More peculiar skin issues, such as patches of red spots, lesions, or a rash that covers the torso, can be brought on by the body’s reaction to the disease.
Here’s an overview of leukemia-related skin disorders and what they might look like:
1. Leukemia Rashes Caused by an Infection
The body uses white blood cells to protect itself from infections and disease, but when someone has leukemia, abnormal cells in the bone marrow crowd out healthy blood cells, including these infection-fighting white blood cells. As a result, leukemia patients are more susceptible to infection from bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Those with acute leukemia are known to have an increased risk of developing infections, particularly bacterial infections. What happens is the neutrophil count drops below a certain level. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that is helpful for fighting off certain infections, including those caused by bacteria. Leukemia patients with a low neutrophil count are also at a higher risk for fungal infections.
A rash induced by an infection might feel warm or painful. Skin rashes caused by bacterial infections might have small red bumps, while fungal rashes tend to have a darker color at the border or more defined lesions at the edges of the rash. They’re also likely to be itchy.
If you have a leukemia rash that looks like it’s caused by an infection, your doctor might take a biopsy to determine what type of infection it is and then offer medications to resolve the condition.
2. Rashes Caused by Leukemia Drugs
Skin problems are a side effect of conventional leukemia treatments, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.
Some chemo medications are known to cause the skin to break down and cause a rash in a fair portion of patients. Even research indicates that developing an inflammation induced by chemotherapy might indicate better outcomes. One study found that the three-year progression-free survival rate for patients with a rash induced by bendamustine – a chemo drug used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) – was 80%, compared to 36.4% for those who didn’t develop a rash.
A skin issue induced by leukemia drugs can range from mild to severe, so it’s important to communicate with your cancer treatment team right away if you notice this side effect.
3. Leukemia-Related Skin Issues
There are also several skin disorders that can develop as a complication of the disease.
- Petechiae isn’t technically a rash, but it looks like one and is common in leukemia patients. When a leukemia patient has low platelet counts, their blood doesn’t clot quickly. As a result, when capillaries break, the blood exits the blood vessel and forms tiny red, brown, or purple blood spots that look like small pinpoints on the surface of the skin.
- Leukemia cutis is characterized by bumpy growths on the skin. It’s caused by the uncontrolled growth of white blood cells. While patients usually have systemic leukemia before this skin disorder develops, sometimes these cutaneous manifestations can show up before cancer impacts the bone marrow and peripheral blood – in these patients, leukemia cutis might be one of the first indicators of the disease.
- Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and aggressive subtype of acute leukemia – it’s estimated that only 0.5% of all blood cancers are BPDCN, and the median age of patients is 70 years. If someone has this type of leukemia, they’ll notice lesions on the skin.
Is a Rash an Early Sign of Leukemia?
For someone who hasn’t been diagnosed with leukemia, the appearance of a rash can be alarming, especially if it’s accompanied by other common symptoms of this type of blood cancer, such as fatigue, pale skin, and weight loss.
The best way to determine if a rash is a sign of leukemia is to make an appointment with a licensed physician and get a diagnosis. The sooner you can identify the presence of cancer, the sooner you can begin your path toward better health.
Contact the team at Brio Medical today to learn about treatment options for leukemia.
References for what leukemia rash looks like:
Pemmaraju, Naveen, M.D. “Skin rashes and leukemia.” MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, July 23, 2021, https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/skin-rashes-and-leukemia–what-you-need-to-know.h00-159462423.html.
Rolston, Kenneth V. I.. “Infections in Patients with Acute Leukemia.” Infections in Hematology 3–23. 27 Nov. 2014, doi:10.1007/978-3-662-44000-1_1
Cleveland Clinic medical professional. “Skin Fungus.” Cleveland Clinic, September 25, 2020, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4276-skin-fungus.
Isenalumhe, Leidy, M.D., reviewer. “Leukemia Symptoms.” Moffitt Cancer Center, https://moffitt.org/cancers/leukemia/signs-symptoms/.
Takahashi, Naoki, et al. “Bendamustine-induced rash is associated with a favorable prognosis in patients with indolent B-cell lymphoma.” Journal of Clinical and experimental hematopathology: JCEH vol. 62,1 (2022): 18-24. doi:10.3960/jslrt.21018
Cho-Vega, Jeong Hee, et al. “Leukemia cutis.” American Journal of clinical pathology vol. 129,1 (2008): 130-42. doi:10.1309/WYACYWF6NGM3WBRT
Pagano L, Valentini CG, Pulsoni A, et al. Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm with leukemic presentation: an Italian multicenter study. Haematologica 2013;98:239-246.
