A rare case of anterior sternal metastasis in ovarian cancer: A case report.

A subcutaneous mass in the anterior region of the thorax, (presternal region). Subcutaneous metastases in ovarian cancer are rare, occurring in 0.9% to 5.8% of cases. They are usually a late manifestation that arises several years after the initial diagnosis and often serve as a poor prognostic indicator. Their presence suggests a reported median survival ranging from 3 to 18 months. subcutaneous metastases can be categorized into umbilical metastases, commonly referred to as Sister Joseph's nodules (SJN) the most prevalent type, and non-SJN cutaneous metastases. We present the unusual case of a 57-year-old woman who underwent surgical intervention and received adjuvant chemotherapy for serous ovarian adenocarcinoma. She presented for consultation 5 years later with a painful presternal mass, and the histopathological examination of the mass revealed a metastasis of the primary ovarian tumor.

Aggressive variant prostate cancer with multiple subcutaneous metastases: a case report.

A 71-year-old man with bone metastasis of hormone-sensitive prostate cancer was treated with androgen deprivation therapy and apalutamide. Radium-223 and radiation therapy were administered after it become castration resistant. Although prostate-specific antigen levels remained low, multiple subcutaneous metastases of neuroendocrine prostate cancer were observed. A review of the pre-treatment prostate needle biopsy revealed a small component with features suggestive of neuroendocrine differentiation. Phosphatase and tensine homolog loss and tumor protein p53 overexpression were observed, confirming the diagnosis of aggressive variant prostate cancer. Platinum-based chemotherapy was administered; however, the patient died 28 months after diagnosis. In this case, if the diagnosis of aggressive variant prostate cancer had been made at an earlier time by biopsy specimens, there might have been a possibility to improve the prognosis by the earlier introduction of the platinum-based regimen. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13691-024-00673-7.

Melanoma: Multiple Presentations of an Invisible Illness.

Melanoma can spread to any organ of the body. The most affected sites are the skin and subcutaneous tissue, lymph nodes, lungs, liver, brain, bone, and intestine. Early diagnosis is crucial to prompt treatment. Although the incidence of melanoma is rising, novel treatment options are being developed, enabling a better prognosis. The authors present a rare case of metastatic melanoma affecting the muscle, lymph nodes, and subcutaneous tissue. The patient complained of redness and swelling of the right thigh and inguinal region, red, painful lumps on her chest wall, and pain in the left upper abdominal quadrant. A CT of the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis was performed, and surgical excision of the left thoracic mass led to the diagnosis of metastatic melanoma. However, no primary lesion was found despite extensive investigation. The unusual presentation of muscular metastasis heralds a poor prognosis. This case highlights the difficulty of diagnosing patients with rare presentations of a rather frequent disease.

An Atypical Presentation of Soft Tissue Metastasis in a Patient With Lung Cancer.

Soft tissue metastasis in patients with lung cancer is infrequently reported in the literature. Primary lung carcinomas have been shown to exhibit evidence of metastasis to soft tissue in 2.3% of cases. A 75-year-old Caucasian female presented with clinical signs of anemia and the appearance of several soft tissue masses on her back. The patient was a former smoker with a 20-pack-year history. Further workup revealed a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the lung with soft tissue metastasis. Recognizing the early signs of metastasis is crucial to providing the patient the best treatment available, and the importance of a thorough physical examination cannot be emphasized enough.

Topology impacts TRAIL therapy: Differences in primary cancer growth and liver metastasis between orthotopic and subcutaneous xenotransplants of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND: To study novel treatment modalities for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), we need to transfer the knowledge from in vitro to in vivo. It is important to mirror the clinical characteristics of the typically local invasive growth of pancreatic cancer and the distant spread resulting in liver metastasis. Notably, for xenotransplant studies using human specimen, two models, i.e. subcutaneous (s.c.) and orthotopic (o.t.) transplantation are widely used. METHODS: The subcutaneously and orthotopically inoculated Colo357 Bcl-xL cell-derived tumors were directly compared with and without TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) treatment. The size of primary tumors, number of liver metastasis and the histologic markers Ki67, M30, TNF-α and CD31 were assessed. RESULTS: Upon TRAIL treatment, the primary tumors did not change their size, neither in the s.c. nor in the o.t. approaches. But when s.c. was compared to o.t., the size of the s.c. tumors was more than two-fold bigger than that of the o.t. tumors (P < 0.01). However, mice with orthotopically inoculated PDAC cells developed liver metastasis upon TRAIL treatment much more frequently (n = 13/17) than mice with subcutaneously inoculated PDAC cells (n = 1/11) (P < 0.01). As a likely driving force for this increased metastasis, a higher TNF-α staining intensity in the o.t. tumors was observed by immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSIONS: These data from a direct side-by-side comparison underline the importance of the proper inoculation site of the PDAC cells. Local invasion and liver metastases are a hallmark of PDAC in the clinic; the o.t. model is clearly superior in reflecting this setting. Moreover, a serious side-effect of a possible new therapeutic compound became obvious only in the o.t.

Metachronous port site, muscular and subcutaneous metastases from a gastric adenocarcinoma: a case report and review of articles.

BACKGROUND: Port site metastasis (PSM) after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer and muscular metastasis from gastric cancer are rare manifestations. Similarly, subcutaneous metastasis from gastric cancer is rare, and muscular and subcutaneous metastases are associated with poor prognosis. We report a case of long-term survival in a patient who underwent curative resection of gastric cancer and repeated recurrence of port site, muscular and subcutaneous metastases from gastric cancer, treated by resection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 75-year-old man was diagnosed with gastric cancer and referred to our department. Upper endoscopy demonstrated a 5-cm circumferential ulcerated lesion at the cardia. Biopsy findings showed a poorly differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma. He underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy with lymph node dissection, and pathologic examination revealed a moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma stage T4aN1M0 and IIIA according to the UICC (Union for International Cancer Control) classification. He refused adjuvant chemotherapy and was only carefully observed. Twenty-three months after the primary gastrectomy, computed tomography (CT) revealed an irregular mass near the port site wounds. Then the patient underwent mass resection, and the pathological diagnosis was consistent with metastatic adenocarcinoma, located in the subcutaneous tissue at the port site wounds. Thirteen months after the second surgery, CT revealed an enhanced mass in the abdominal wall. Positron emission tomography (PET) CT showed an elevated uptake in the rectus abdominis muscle and a standardized uptake value (SUV) of 3.1. The patient underwent another mass resection, and the pathological diagnosis was consistent with metastatic adenocarcinoma in the rectus abdominis muscle. Thirty-five months after the third surgery, CT revealed a mass in the left gluteal subcutaneous region. Furthermore, PET-CT revealed a 35-mm mass with an elevated SUV of 9.6. Another mass resection procedure was performed, and the pathological diagnosis was consistent with metastatic adenocarcinoma in the subcutaneous tissue. Since tumor cells were present at the resection margin, additional radiation therapy was performed. The patient has survived 78 months after primary gastrectomy. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of muscular and subcutaneous metastases from gastric cancer is poor. However, if the metastatic tumor is solitary, surgical excision could be a feasible treatment option and might prolong survival.

The Role of Electrochemotherapy in the Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Metastases From Breast Cancer: Analysis of Predictive Factors to Treatment From an Italian Cohort of Patients.

The treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous localizations from breast cancer (BC) is still a therapeutic challenge. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is one of the available options, and it is characterized by the association between the administration of a chemotherapic agent (Bleomycin) with the temporary raise of permeability of the cellular membrane induced by the local administration of electrical impulses (electroporation). ECT represents an effective therapy for loco-regional control of this disease. This study aimed to investigate the predictive factors of response in cutaneous and subcutaneous localizations from breast cancer treated with ECT. We decided to evaluate the response to this treatment in 55 patients who underwent ECT between January 2013 and March 2020 at our Institute. We performed a monocentric retrospective cohort study. ECT was administered following the ESOPE (European Standard Operative Procedure of Electrochemotherapy) guidelines, a set of criteria updated in 2018 by a panel of European experts on ECT who defined the indications for selecting the patients who can benefit from the ECT treatment and the ones for technically performing the procedure. The responses were evaluated with the RECIST criteria (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor). We found after 12 weeks of treatment a complete response (CR) in 64% of our patients. From the analysis divided for subgroups of covariates is emerged that lower BMI, reduced body surface, and absence of previous radiation treatment could be predictive for a better complete response. This study suggests that the efficacy of the ECT treatment is related to the concurrent systemic therapies while administering ECT. The association between ECT and immunotherapy has offered better results than the association between ECT and chemotherapy (p-value = 0.0463). So, ECT is a valuable tool in the treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases from breast cancer and its efficacy in local control of these lesions improves when it is well planned in a therapeutic scenario.

Uncommon Site of Metastasis and Prolonged Survival in Patients with Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a very rare, highly aggressive malignant thyroid tumor with an overall survival from 3 to 5 months in most of the cases. Even the modern and intensive treatments seem not to be enough to provide a cure, also for the resectable ones, and the role of chemotherapy is still unclear but does not seem to prolong survival. Nevertheless, some patients survive longer and have a better outcome, even in the presence of metastasis, than what the literature reports. We present the case of a 64-year-old female affected by ATC, treated on February 2018 with surgery followed by chemoradiation. One year after surgery, the patient developed a subcutaneous recurrence that was radically resected and is still alive 29 months after the diagnosis. We propose a systematic review of the literature to deepen the knowledge of the prognostic factors of ATC with the aim to recognize and select the patients with a better outcome, even if metastatic, and to describe a very uncommon site of metastatization.

Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine rectal carcinoma with uncommon immune-histochemical features and clinical presentation with a subcutaneous metastasis, treated with first line intensive triplet chemotherapy plus bevacizumab FIr-B/FOx regimen: an experience of multidisciplinary management in clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are heterogeneous, widely distributed tumors arising from neuroendocrine cells. Gastrointestinal (GI)-NETs are the most common and NETs of the rectum represent 15, 2% of gastrointestinal malignancies. Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas of the GI tract are uncommon. We report a rare case of poorly differentiated locally advanced rectal neuroendocrine carcinoma with nodal and a subcutaneous metastasis, with a cytoplasmic staining positive for Synaptophysin and Thyroid Transcription Factor-1. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old male presented to hospital, due to lumbar, abdominal, perineal pain, and severe constipation. A whole-body computed tomography scan showed a mass of the right lateral wall of the rectum, determining significant reduction of lumen caliber. It also showed a subcutaneous metastasis of the posterior abdominal wall. Patient underwent a multidisciplinary evaluation, diagnostic and therapeutic plan was shared and defined. The pathological examination of rectal biopsy and subcutaneous nodule revealed features consistent with small-cell poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma. First line medical treatment with triplet chemotherapy and bevacizumab, according to FIr-B/FOx intensive regimen, administered for the first time in this young elderly patient affected by metastatic rectal NEC was highly active and tolerable, as previously reported in metastatic colo-rectal carcinoma (MCRC). A consistent rapid improvement in clinical conditions were observed during treatment. After 6 cycles of treatment, CT scan and endoscopic evaluation showed clinical complete response of rectal mass and lymph nodes; patient underwent curative surgery confirming the pathologic complete response at PFS 9 months. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This case report of a locally advanced rectal NEC with an unusual subcutaneous metastasis deserves further investigation of triplet chemotherapy-based intensive regimens in metastatic GEP NEC.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the pancreas, thyroid, & subcutaneous tissue 13 years after Radical nephrectomy: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 3% of all adult malignancies and is known for its poor prognosis. At the time of diagnosis up to 30% of patients will present with metastasis. We report multiple metastases of RCC to rare sites; twice to pancreases, thyroid, twice to subcutaneous tissue, and the other kidney- occurring years after the radical nephrectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: Our case is of a 51-year-old female who underwent a right radical nephrectomy for RCC. Upon 6 years post-operative surveillance for recurrence, multiple metastatic lesions were found in the head of the pancreas which were resected by a Whipple procedure. Four years later, she presented with a thyroid nodule and fine needle aspiration showed metastatic RCC. The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy. Months later, the patient presented with a right forearm mass. Biopsy showed metastatic RCC. Excision with negative margins was performed. A year later, a metastatic lesion was found in the tail of pancreas in addition to a recurrent metastatic mass over the right forearm. The patient underwent completion pancreatectomy and resection of the forearm mass. One year later, another metastatic lesion was found in the left kidney, for which the patient underwent left partial nephrectomy with negative margins. CONCLUSION: RCC is one of the most aggressive malignancies. A high index of sucion is crucial to detect its metastasis. As some lesions maybe missed because they lack the classical radiological findings or are found in atypical locations, in addition to the latent recurrence of RCC metastasis, a lifelong follow-up is recommended.

Subcutaneous metastasis from recurrent basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer is the 11th most common cause of cancer mortality in the United States. It is aggressive in nature and has an ability to spread rapidly through direct extension, lymphatic spread, or hematogenously. With an estimated incidence of 1%, cutaneous metastases from esophageal cancer are extremely rare. CASE PRESENTATION: In this case study and review, we describe a case of recurrent esophageal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma presenting as multiple, rapidly progressing and tender subcutaneous nodules. A 69-year-old male with history of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus treated with concurrent chemoradiation, presented to his oncologist with complaints of a large, painful nodule at the nape of his neck approximately two years after completing treatment. On further examination, he was noted to have multiple, well circumscribed, solid, tender nodules on his abdominal wall along with a painful nodule on the pulp of his index finger. Histopathology from all sites revealed skin infiltration by high-grade invasive basaloid subtype of squamous cell carcinoma, similar to patient's prior known and treated primary esophageal cancer. Further imaging work up showed extensive metastatic disease involving lung, liver, and brain. CONCLUSION: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma rarely metastasize to the skin. Subcutaneous nodules can be the first presentation of recurrent disease. The lesions are commonly confused with skin infections and treated inappropriately with antibiotics, leading to delay in diagnosis of recurrent disease. Early biopsy of suspicious lesions should be performed, especially in patients with history of cancer, such that prompt diagnosis and treatment can occur to maximize patient outcomes.

Carcinoma cervix de novo with widespread cutaneous/subcutaneous metastasis: A rare case report.

Cancer of the uterine cervix is one of the leading gynecological malignancies of developing nations including India. A 45-year-old female presented with menstrual irregularities and other nonspecific symptoms. After initial workup, she was diagnosed with carcinoma cervix, Stage IV A, while she was being planned to take up radical concomitant chemoradiotherapy, she developed widespread nodules over various sites over the body, which were histopathologically proven as metastatic lesions. She was treated with a palliative intent by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Only a few such cases have been reported in the literature with variable outcomes. These rare presentations should be thoroughly worked up and studied to know more about their biological behavior.

EML4-ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma presenting an unusual metastatic pattern in a 29-year-old woman who is alive and well in her third year follow up:A case report.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a frequent tumor entity with high mortality. Although several newly discovered chromosomal translocations and mutations opened new horizons for targeted therapy, literature still lacks large series of NSCLC with chromosomal abberations and their correlations with histological and clinical features. We present a case of echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) translocation positive adenocarcinoma of the lung with an unusual metastatic pattern in a 29-year-old young woman. CONCLUSION: Young adult non-smoker female patients with an unexplained pleural effusion and signs of metastatic disease should alert the physicians straight away for all types of malignancies including lung cancer. Any skin lesions should be evaluated carefully, biopsies should be done to exclude metastasis in urgency. On the other hand, an uncommon clinical presentation of a lung cancer requires corresponding molecular testing rapidly in order to offer the best treatment option.

Isolated subcutaneous implantation of a borderline ovarian tumor: A case report and review of the literature.

Laparoscopy-related tumor implantations of gynecological malignancies into the subcutaneous tissue are rarely diagnosed. We report an interesting case of a 46-year-old female who presented with an abdominal subcutaneous metastasis of a borderline ovarian tumor. The patient received a laparoscopic unilateral adnexectomy for a solid-cystic tumor of the right ovary. Histopathological workup showed a papillary borderline tumor of mucinous type. Nine days later she underwent a hysterectomy, left adnexectomy, appendectomy and omentectomy. Exploration of the peritoneum revealed no intraperitoneal implants. Further exploration showed a non-invasive implant of a borderline tumor in the subcutaneous tissue above the fascia that had no contact to the peritoneum. It is hypothesized that tumor cells may have been implanted during a previous laparoscopy, the most recent of which had been fourteen years prior to her current presentation. Various risk factors for port-site malignancies have been identified. Tumor manipulation and extraction of tumor tissue without a protective bag may contribute to development of trocar-site metastasis.

Uncommon isolated distant subcutaneous tissue and skeletal muscle metastasis from oesophageal cancer diagnosed by PET/CT (18)F-FDG.

Distant soft-tissue metastases (subcutaneous tissues and skeletal muscle) are extremely rare, particularly in oesophageal carcinoma. The case is described of a patient who was treated for oesophageal adenocarcinoma 2.5 years previously. A PET/CT was performed showing metastatic spread due to a solitary focus of increased tracer uptake corresponding to one subcutaneous node in the upper abdomen. An excisional biopsy showed a metastasis from the carcinoma. Restaging PET/CT (18)F-FDG study was performed 2 year later, demonstrating foci of increased uptake within several muscles as isolated distant haematogenous spread of metastases, histopathologically confirmed. As most of soft-tissue metastases are asymptomatic, the physicians should recommend a histopathological study of focal FDG uptake at subcutaneous tissues and/or skeletal muscles, because they may be the first sign of disease spread, so therapeutic management of these patients could be changed.

A case report of pontine glioblastoma presenting as subcutaneous metastasis in nape of neck in a child.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant tumor in adults. Extracranial metastasis of GBM is very rare. The incidence of brainstem glioblastoma is not known due to low biopsy and resection rates. In this case report, we experienced an 11-year-old male who was diagnosed as a case of pontine GBM after biopsy of lesion and underwent radiotherapy with adjuvant chemotherapy. He presented with a subcutaneous swelling in the nape of neck 1 year after the first procedure. Swelling was excised. Pathological examination and immunohistochemical staining confirmed it as GBM. This case shows us that GBM can at times present as a swelling in soft tissue.

Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging of an isolated subcutaneous loin metastasis from primary papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.

Differentiated thyroid cancer frequently metastasizes but generally spreads to regional cervical lymph nodes and, in advanced cases, to the lungs and/or skeleton. Metastases to the skin/subcutaneous tissue are rare. We report 45-year-old male patient presented with a loin swelling which on biopsy showed a papillary carcinoma and referred for fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) to find out the primary disease. PET/CT showed abnormal FDG uptake within a loin metastasis and right lobe thyroid nodule. Fine-needle aspiration from nodule showed papillary carcinoma. Because thyroid cancer can rarely metastasize to the skin, attention should be given to that region during interpretation of the images. He was advised total thyroidectomy and metastasis excision.

Unusual case of solitary perineal subcutaneous metastasis from sigmoid colon cancer.

Subcutaneous metastasis from colorectal cancer is an unusual presentation. Most perineal subcutaneous metastases are found in extensive involvements of multiorgan metastases or local recurrences of rectal cancer. Subcutaneous metastasis from colon cancer is considered as a distant metastasis with poor prognosis. We report an unusual case of solitary subcutaneous metastasis beneath the perineum without solid organ involvement after a curative anterior resection for sigmoid colon cancer. The patient underwent a perineal resection, and chemotherapy with the FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) regimen was instituted. Eight months later, multiple lung metastases were found, and chemotherapy was restarted with the FOLFIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan) regimen. However, lung metastases progressed, and new metastases appeared at the adrenal glands, the kidneys and the cerebellum. The patient died 30 months after the diagnosis of perineal subcutaneous metastasis. He lived relatively long in comparison with patients in previous reports.

Glioblastoma multiforme with subcutaneous metastases, case report and literature review.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor and the most malignant astrocytoma in adults, with rare extra-cranial metastases, especially for subcutaneous metastases. It could be easily misdiagnosed as primary subcutaneous tumor. In this report, we describe a patient with pontine GBM who developed a subcutaneous swelling at the ipsilateral posterior cervical region 8 months after operation, and the pathological and immunocytochemical examination carry the same characteristics as the primary intracranial GBM cells, which defined it as subcutaneous metastasis. GBM with subcutaneous metastasis is extremely rare, and knowledge of a prior intracranial GBM, pathological examinations and immunocytochemical tests with markers typically expressed by GBM are of vital importance for the diagnosis of GBM metastasis. Surgical resection of subcutaneous swelling, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, could be the best strategy of treatment for the patients with GBM subcutaneous metastasis.