Flagellate erythema secondary to bleomycin: a new case report and review of the literature.

Bleomycin is an antibiotic with antineoplastic properties. It is used in the treatment of different tumors in oncology. The mucocutaneous side effects of this drug include ulcers, scaly erythematous and bullous lesions, sclerosis, stomatitis, and pigmentary alterations. Flagellate erythema is a characteristic hyperpigmentation of bleomycin. We report a case of flagellate erythema following the administration of bleomycin in a 34-year-old woman with ovarian teratoma. She developed linear lesions two weeks after the first injection of bleomycin. Flagellate erythema is a specific reaction to bleomycin therapy, which occurs in susceptible individuals independently of dose, route of administration, and type of malignant disease treated.