Skin Metastasis of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Arising in the Rectum

ABSTRACT

Neuroendocrine carcinoma is known to have features of neuroendocrine and epithelial differentiation through immunohistochemical and biochemical investigation. Cutaneous metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma must be differentiated from Merkel cell carcinoma, a primary cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma and metastatic carcinoma from other visceral disease. Cutaneous metastases from neuroendocrine carcinomas of a variety of sites including the uterus, vulva, gall bladder and fallopian tubes have been reported. We report a 58-year-old Korean man with a metastatic skin tumor on his scalp from rectal neuroendocrine carcinoma.