Clinical & Experimental Dermatology

Biography

Biography: Maurice Efana Asuquo

Abstract

Cutaneous metastasis is valuable though with infrequent occurrence in clinical practice. It is of esteem value in diagnosis as well as treatment of cancer due to the ease of accessibility for clinical examination and biopsy. Method Patients who presented with histologic diagnosis of cutaneous metastatic malignancies at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, (UCTH), Calabar, Nigeria from 2010 to 2013 were studied and compared with total number of patient with cutaneous malignancies seen over the same period. Results Sixty histologically diagnosed cutaneous malignancies presented to UCTH, Calabar, [55(92%) patients with primary cutaneous malignancies while 5(8%) were metastatic cutaneous cancer]. The 5 patients comprised 2 men and 3 women with ages that ranged from 37- 75 years (mean 59.2 years). The site distribution was 3(75%) anterior abdominal wall [2- umbilicus, Figure 1a, 1- laparotomy scar], 1- Back – left scapular region and 1 – wide spread cutaneous lesions (from head to the foot), Figure 2a. Two (40%) patients presented with malignant intestinal obstruction, Table 1. The histology of the cutaneous lesions revealed, 4 (80%) patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma, Figure 1b, 3 from proven colonic sites, one suspicious and one with metastatic olfactory neuroblastoma, Figure 2b. The later was the patient with wide spread cutaneous lesions. These nodules remarkably occurred during chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the primary left eye lesion that appeared to be responding to therapy. The outcomes were uniformly poor due to advanced primary lesions at presentation. Conclusion Evaluation of skin provides valuable insights into underlying malignant process and often of diagnostic and prognostic value. Clinicians are urged to show interest in cutaneous nodules in view of the estimable value by subjecting such for histological evaluation.