A case of Keratosis palmaris et plantaris associated with carcinoma oesophagus in a 70 year old man is reported.

Various diseases in which it has to be used over a long period can be divided into three groups-1. Serious, often fatal disease in which there is no choice but to use the steroids. Diseases included in this group are: (a) Pemphigus (b) Systemic lupus erythematosus (c) Dermatomyositis (d) Scleroderma. Corticosteroids have not only provided the clinician with a more rational method for management of these diseases but also, according to some, it has prolonged the span of life. 2. Chronic incapacitating and distressing dermatoses in which corticosteroids have been found useful. These include: (a) Severe atopic dermatitis (of children, adolescents and adults) (b) Nummular eczema (c) Eczematous eruption of the hands (d) Exudative discoid and Chronic lichenoid dermatoses (e) Erythrodermia. These disorders, as a rule, do not cause death but, all the same, they can wreck the social and family life of the sufferer. Their use is, therefore, justified especially when other measures have failed to control the disease. 3. Dermatoses in which they are still under study and may be useful. They are: (a) Psoriasis (b) Sarcoidosis (c) Seborrhoeic dermatitis (d) Dermatitis herpetiformis (e) Alopecia areata (f) Lichen planus.