ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cancer that tends to metastasize to other internal organs also involves the skin with various clinical features. OBJECTIVE: We studied the clinical and histopathological findings of metastatic skin cancer and primary lung cancer. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical features and histopathological findings in 7 patients with metastatic skin cancer from the lung cancer. We performed routine hematoxylin-eosin stain and immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibody to cytokeratin, neuron specific enolase, S-100, leukocyte common antigen, and epithelial membrane antigen using the formalin-fixed paraffin embedded skin tissue of cutaneous metastatic and primary lung cancer. RESULTS: All patients are men ranging from 44 to 72 years in age(mean, 63.0 years). Cutaneous lesions were nodule, tumor, and sclerotic plaque. Skin lesions appeared on all parts of body. The neck, chest, and scalp were the most common locations of metastases. Pathologic findings were squamous cell carcinoma in 5 patients, adenosquamous cell carcinoma in 2 patients. We found some different immunophenotypes in cutaneous metastatic lesion and lung cancer. Mean survival time from the diagnosis of lung cancer was 10.4 months, and 8.4 months from the diagnosis of skin metastasis. CONCLUSION: We conclude that patients with cutaneous metastasis of lung cancer reflect progressive, terminal stage, and poor prognosis of the disease.