‘Flagellate’ Erythema from Bleomycin

A case of erythema in a ‘flagellate’ pattern due to administration of bleomycin in a patient with Hodgkin’s disease is described. Emphasis is placed on the low dose of bleomycin administered – 15 mg parenterally – and the short time interval between drug administration and beginning of symptoms: 24 h. The histopathological findings were consistent with a mechanism of inflammatory oncotaxis: the attraction of tumor cells by the skin perhaps due to the bleomycin accumulated and the trauma caused by scratching subsequent to pruritus.