Cutaneous metastasis as the first manifestation of occult malignant breast neoplasia

Abstract Cutaneous metastases from primary internal malignancies represent 0.7-9% of patients with cancer. We report a 65-year-old female patient referred for evaluation of normochromic papules on the trunk and upper limbs that had been present for three months. A skin biopsy revealed diffuse cutaneous infiltration by small round cell tumors. Immunohistochemistry was positive for AE1/AE3, CK7, estrogen receptor and mammaglobin. The final diagnosis was cutaneous metastasis of occult breast cancer, since the solid primary tumor was not identified. The location of the primary tumor can not be determined in 5-10% of cases. In these cases, 27% are identified before the patient’s death, 57% at autopsy, and the remaining 16% can not be located.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Weimann,Ellem Tatiani de Souza, Botero,Erica Bruder, Mendes,Cinthia, Santos,Marcel Alex Soares dos, Stelini,Rafael Fantelli, Zelenika,Caroline Romanelli T.
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Dermatologia 2016
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0365-05962016001100105
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Summary:Abstract Cutaneous metastases from primary internal malignancies represent 0.7-9% of patients with cancer. We report a 65-year-old female patient referred for evaluation of normochromic papules on the trunk and upper limbs that had been present for three months. A skin biopsy revealed diffuse cutaneous infiltration by small round cell tumors. Immunohistochemistry was positive for AE1/AE3, CK7, estrogen receptor and mammaglobin. The final diagnosis was cutaneous metastasis of occult breast cancer, since the solid primary tumor was not identified. The location of the primary tumor can not be determined in 5-10% of cases. In these cases, 27% are identified before the patient’s death, 57% at autopsy, and the remaining 16% can not be located.