A 69-year-old woman develops dark, velvety pigmentation in her axillae. She has noticed 10 lb weight loss over the past 3 months with heartburn and early satiety. She notices no other symptoms. Which of the following conditions should she be studied for?

(a) Source: (Wolff, p. 86)Patients with acanthosis nigricans should be studied for a visceral carcinoma. There are hereditary, drug-induced, and benign forms of acanthosis nigricans as well. Given this patient's symptoms a gastric malignancy should be ruled out. Diabetics get a benign form of the disorder. Other dermatoses associated with malignancy include dermatomyositis, flushing, acquired ichthyosis, and thrombophlebitis migrans.