Muir-Torre Syndrome

Asymptomatic facial and truncal papules began developing several years before this 55-year-old man sought medical care. The lesions were slightly yellowish or reddish, and many had a central punctum. Biopsy revealed a microscopic picture consistent with sebaceous adenoma.

Colon cancer was a significant factor in the patient's history: he had undergone resection 5 years earlier, and the disease had been diagnosed in his brother, sister, and niece. Moreover, his brother also had similar facial papules. Thus, Dr Reynold C. Wong of Sacramento, Calif, made the diagnosis of Muir-Torre syndrome, a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multiple sebaceous tumors (including adenomas, adenocarcinomas, and epitheliomas) in association with multiple adenocarcinomas of the colon. The patient refused the option of removal of any papules.