Pulmonary metastases from basal-cell carcinoma of skin.

Abstract

Sakula, A. (1977). Thorax, 32,[637][638][639][640][641][642] Pulmonary metastases from basal-cell carcinoma of skin. Although rodent ulcers are a relatively common malignant condition of the skin, pulmonary metastases arising from them are extremely rare. There have so far been only 29 authenticated reports of this condition.A further case is described of a man who, at the age of 35, developed a rodent ulcer (typical basal-cell carcinoma) on the forehead. Despite local excisions, skin grafting, and radiotherapy, the ulcer continued to recur, although there was no spread to regional lymph nodes. When he was aged 52, he developed widespread bilateral pulmonary lesions and a right pleural effusion. Thoracotomy provided a lung biopsy which showed the typical histological appearance of basal-cell carcinoma. He died aged 54, 19 years after the onset of the rodent ulcer, and necropsy confirmed that the pulmonary lesions were bloodborne metastases of basal-cell carcinoma.Rodent ulcers are the commonest form of malignant disease of the skin. Whereas squamous-cell carcinoma of the skin characteristically spreads to regional lymph nodes, rodent ulcers of the skin (basal-cell carcinoma) were, until recent times, considered to be an entirely localised form of skin malignancy showing no tendency to distant metastasis (MacLeod

Metástasis pulmonares de un carcinoma basocelular cutáneo

“…La vía de diseminación puede ser linfática o hematógena. Los ganglios linfáticos regionales representan el lugar más común de metástasis, seguidos en frecuencia por el pulmón, hueso y otros órganos [10][11][12] .…”

Pulmonary Metastasis from a Basal-Cell Carcinoma of the Retroauricular Region

“…The overall incidence is estimated to be 0.03 % (12 ). Regional metastasis from these tumors is usually a precursor to distant spread, which may occur many years after treatment of the regional disease (10,13). There had bee n repeated discussions abo ut establishing the diagnosis of metastasic BCC in the past, unti l Lattes and Kessler ou tlined t hei r criteria in 1951 (14).…”

Pulmonary Metastasis of Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Rare Manifestation of a Common Disease with Variable Clinical Course

“…2 Pulmonary metastases from basal cell carcinoma have been reported in small number of case reports. 3 These reports suggest that the prognosis of these cases is generally poor with inconsistent response to chemotherapy or surgery. 4 These two cases suggest that this rare complication of a common malignancy may have a variable clinical course.…”