Zosteriform skin metastases: Clue to an undiagnosed breast cancer

Abstract

Cancer metastases represent the most devastating aspect of malignancy, since the mortality of cancer patients is mainly related to the metastatic behavior of the primary neoplasm. Skin metastases are usually late events in the course of tumor progression. Excluding melanoma, the most common tumor to metastasize to the skin is breast cancer. Patients who develop cutaneous metastases rarely present with a zosteriform distribution. Herein, we present a 60-year-old female, an undiagnosed case of breast cancer, with zosteriform metastases along her right T2-T3 dermatome.

Remote Cutaneous Breast Carcinoma Metastasis Mimicking Dermatitis

“…Additionally, these lesions have variable clinical appearances and can be mistaken for benign skin lesions. [ 7 ]…”

Zosteriform cutaneous metastasis of breast carcinoma in a male patient

“…Most previously reported cases attributed the occurrence of BP in psoriasis to topical treatment with anthralin or tar but also phototherapy, such as psoralen + ultraviolet A (PUVA) or narrowband UVB, or to the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor antibodies. [1][2][3][4] Here we report a case of BP eruption in a psoriatic patient apparently not related to antipsoriatic systemic or topical treatment. Additionally, in this patient, BP and psoriasis coexisted with vitiligo.…”

“…Breast cancer is the neoplasia most commonly associated with skin metastases. However, the arrangement of skin lesions in a dermatomal distribution is highly unusual: only 10 cases of zosteriform cutaneous metastasis related to breast carcinoma have been published in the literature . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a dermatomal cutaneous metastasis originating from breast carcinoma in a male patient.…”

Malignant Neoplastic Wounds: Clinical Management Performed by Nurses

“…The appearance of subsequent metastasis is variable, but, in general, it occurs during the first three years after diagnosis. [5][6][7][8] Breast, lung and gastrointestinal tract cancer and melanomas are tumors that have increased susceptibility to progress to skin metastases. [9] One assumes that skin metastases and malignant neoplastic wounds are more common in developing countries than developed countries, but the data in the literature are too limited to confirm this.…”