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Case Reports
. 2022 Mar 22:10:2050313X221086316.
doi: 10.1177/2050313X221086316. eCollection 2022.

Blue-grey hyperpigmentation in acne after vandetanib therapy and doxycycline use: A case report

Jonah W Perlmutter  1 , Rachel C Cogan  1 , Marni C Wiseman  2   3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Blue-grey hyperpigmentation in acne after vandetanib therapy and doxycycline use: A case report

Jonah W Perlmutter et al. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Vandetanib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor with cutaneous adverse effects that include the development of acne. We present a patient who underwent vandetanib therapy for stage IV medullary thyroid cancer in conjunction with the use of doxycycline for acne that developed. After vandetanib use, blue-grey pigmentation developed in the acne on his face, chest, back, and arms, which darkened after the use of doxycycline. We review the literature to report that this blue-grey hyperpigmentation was likely vandetanib-induced but may have been the result of both drugs being used in combination.

Keywords: Blue hyperpigmentation; blue discoloration; doxycycline; tyrosine kinase inhibitor; vandetanib.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Multiple blue macules distributed over the forehead and cheeks corresponding to areas of previous acne in a patient on vandetanib and doxycycline.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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