Toe Acrometastasis as an Initial Sign of Metastasis in a Patient With a Large Cell Lung Carcinoma

Acrometastases are rare lesions that originate most commonly from the primary lung cancer. They can mislead the diagnosis and the treatment, since they often appear as an osteomyelitis of the affected area. The presence of these metastases is a sign of poor prognosis, with a life expectancy of few months. We report a case of a 78-year-old male with an acrometastasis to the distal phalanx of the right fourth toe. It was the first sign that his previously diagnosed large cell lung carcinoma had reached a metastatic stage. Amputation of the toe was considered in this case where the intense pain of his acrometastasis could not be managed even with strong analgesics.