Arsenic has been used inadvertently for multiple purposes in the past, as a result,
arsenic keratoses, Bowen’s disease, and skin cancer developed. A few decades ago, in
that time before chemotherapeutic agents for leprosy were introduced, many leprotic
patients had taken herb or over-the-counter medicine for a long time, which accelerated
the risk of various precancerous diseases and skin cancers. We report 4 patients with
old leprosy who developed precancerous dermatoses(arsenic keratosis, Bowen’s disease)
and skin cancers(basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma) after taking arsenics,
definite in two and suspicious in the remaining two. Afterwards, on our consulting of
old leprotic patients, we must be careful in taking a through history and meticulous
inspection of the whole body in search for negligible clues implying skin cancer.
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