Inflammatory metastic carcinoma. Carcinoma erysipelatoides

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Dermatology
• Pathology

Background:

• Pulmonary adenocarcinoma can present with unusual metastatic patterns.
• Cutaneous manifestations of internal malignancies require careful differential diagnosis.

Observation:

• A patient with pulmonary adenocarcinoma developed an erythematous chest wall lesion clinically resembling erysipelas.
• Skin biopsy revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma cells within dermal and lymphatic structures.

Findings:

• The skin lesion was diagnosed as inflammatory metastatic carcinoma.
• Metastatic adenocarcinoma cells were identified in the dermis, subcutaneous tissue, and lymphatic vessels.

Implications:

• Persistent, unresponsive skin eruptions mimicking infections may indicate metastatic carcinoma.
• Clinical features such as lack of fever and leukocytosis are key to differentiating from infectious processes.
• This highlights the importance of considering noninfectious etiologies in dermatology, especially in cancer patients.