Korean J Dermatol.  2023 Jan;61(1):13-21.

Clinicopathological Study of 191 Cases of Metastatic Skin Cancers from Solid Cancer Diagnosed at the Department of Dermatology in a Tertiary Referral Cancer Center

• Park HK
• Yun SJ

Abstract

Background
Metastatic skin cancers occur when cancer cells metastasize to the skin as the primary cancer progresses, but few studies in Korea have included a large number of patients.
Objective
To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of metastatic skin cancers originating from solid cancers.
Methods
A total of 191 patients with metastatic skin cancer diagnosed by skin biopsy from April 2004 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Data on age, sex, duration, symptoms, clinical manifestations, metastatic sites, and histopathological findings were obtained from medical records and photographs.
Results
The mean age of onset was 65.3 years, the male/female ratio was 80:111, and the mean duration was 3.3 months. Most patients were asymptomatic (65.4%), and the most frequent manifestation was nodular lesions (64.4%). Among the 191 metastatic skin cancers, the most common primary cancers were breast cancer (31.9%), lung cancer (25.7%), and melanoma (18.8%). The most common primary cancer in males was lung cancer (52.5%), and that in females was breast cancer (54.1%). The most common sites of metastatic skin cancer were the chest (26.6%), scalp (17.9%), abdomen (10.6%), and back (9.2%). The most common histopathological finding of metastatic skin cancer was adenocarcinoma (53.4%), followed by melanoma (18.8%) and squamous cell carcinoma (14.7%).
Conclusion
We believe that this study will be helpful in diagnosing metastatic skin cancer in patients with a history of cancer or a newly diagnosed primary cancer.

Keyword

Epidemiology; Histopathology; Metastasis; Metastatic skin cancer; Skin cancer