Cutaneous Metastasis: A Study of 138 Cases Diagnosed by Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology

Abstract

Background: Cutaneous metastases can occur in a wide variety of internal malignancies and may be the first sign of a clinically silent visceral cancer. Study Design: A retrospective analysis was made of 138 cases diagnosed with cutaneous and subcutaneous metastasis on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Primary tumors of the skin/subcutis were excluded. Results: Of 138 cases, the primary was known in 101 cases and unknown in 37 cases. The age of the patients ranged from 5 to 86 years, and 76 (55.1%) were male and 62 (44.9%) were female. Clinically, the most common lesion was a single nodule (n = 77, 55.8%). The chest wall was the predominant site (n = 53, 38.4%). In males and females, the most common primary sites were the lung (n = 16) and breast (n = 24), respectively. On cytology, the most common diagnosis was metastatic adenocarcinoma (n = 41, 29.7%). Of 37 cases with an unknown primary, FNAC helped to locate the primary site in 17 (45.9%) cases, while in 20 cases it remained undiagnosed. Conclusions: FNAC is a rapid and safe technique that can be used as a first line of investigation for confirmation of metastatic lesions of the skin. Critical evaluation of cytomorphological features along with relevant clinical details could help in the localization of an unknown primary site in some cases.

Cutaneous manifestations of breast cancer

“…Similarly to other tumour types, breast cancer involves the skin either via continuous spread or through metastases [5]. Skin metastases secondary to breast cancer can be classified into several clinicopathological variants: metastatic carcinoma en cuirasse, inflammatory breast cancer, teleangiectatic metastatic breast carcinoma, nodular breast cancer, chemioterapię i radioterapię, a ze względu na status receptorowy guza także hormonoterapię uzupełnia-jącą przez 5 lat.…”

“…Zajęcie skóry może być wynikiem jej nacieku przez nowotwór zlokalizowany w anatomicznie bliskim są-siedztwie skóry lub przerzutem drogą hematogenną i/lub limfogenną [4][5][6]. Złożone mechanizmy molekularne odpowiedzialne za przerzuty nowotworu Dermatology Review/Przegląd Dermatologiczny 2017/5 enous metastasis [4][5][6].…”

“…Złożone mechanizmy molekularne odpowiedzialne za przerzuty nowotworu Dermatology Review/Przegląd Dermatologiczny 2017/5 enous metastasis [4][5][6]. Complex molecular mechanisms responsible for cancer metastases to the skin have not been entirely clarified.…”

“…The most common cancer types metastasizing to the skin include breast, ovarian, colorectal and lung cancer in women, and lung, colon and oral cancer in men [5]. Breast cancer metastases account for approximately 70% of all metastatic skin cancers in women.…”

“…1). Najczęstszymi nowotworami dającymi przerzuty do skóry u kobiet są rak piersi, jajnika, jelita grubego i płuc, a u mężczyzn rak płuc, okrężnicy i jamy ustnej [5]. U kobiet przerzuty raka piersi stanowią ok. 70% nowotworów przerzutowych skóry.…”