A mirror of metastatic destiny – A case series of cutaneous metastases

Abstract

Cutaneous metastases (CM) account for 2% of all skin tumors, with an incidence of ~2%–10% in patients with internal malignancy. It has a broad morphological spectrum and histologically mimics the primary tumor. Its advent portends a poor prognosis. The clinical manifestations, diagnostic histopathology, and clinical course of five patients with CM were analyzed, of which 2 were female and 3 were male, ranging in age from 43 to 70 years. Illustrating the indolent behavior of this entity, four out of the five patients developed CM despite adequate treatment of the primary malignancies. The histology of the CM and primary malignancy were in agreement. Out of the five patients, four opted for palliative therapy and one patient succumbed to the illness during the course of treatment. CM usually signifies recurrence or progression of malignancy, rarely it may be the initial presentation of an underlying malignancy. It uniformly upstages the malignancy and gravely impacts survival. Regular follow-up and a high degree of suspicion of seemingly benign progressive skin lesions in patients with internal malignancies are crucial for the timely detection of CM. Early identification can lead to a better understanding of disease progression and potentially assist in optimizing treatment strategies, even though options may be limited at this advanced stage.

Keywords

• breast carcinoma
• cutaneous metastases
• cutaneous oncology
• dermatopathology
• secondary malignancy