Subcutaneous granuloma annulare with Hodgkin's disease.

We report an 85-year-old woman with subcutaneous granuloma annulare. Three nodules developed on her scalp and sacral regions and gradually increased with tenderness. Histologically, a biopsy specimen of the nodule was interpreted as subcutaneous granuloma annulare because palisading granuloma was present in the dermis and subcutaneous fatty tissue. Laboratory tests, including RA, showed no remarkable changes except for hyperglycemia and glycosuria. These nodules spontaneously regressed without medication. One year later, she noted swelling of some lymph nodules in the left axillary region. These were diagnosed as Hodgkin's disease (mixed cellularity type). She was treated with chemotherapy, but died after two months. Subcutaneous granuloma annulare which occurs suddenly in the elderly may be a dermadrome of malignant blood disease.