LATE CUTANEOUS METASTASES FROM GASTRIC CARCINOMA

Abstract

Cutaneous metastases from primary gastric carcinoma are uncommon, generally occur late in the course of the disease and have a poor prognosis. We report a long-term survival of a patient with cutaneous metastases from a gastric carcinoma. A 56-year-old patient, previously diagnosed with a poorly differentiated signet-ring cell gastric carcinoma staged as ypT3N3aM0, who underwent total gastrectomy with Roux-en-y reconstruction and extended lymphadenectomy (D2) 7 years prior, with no evidence of disease recurrence. At presentation, physical examination revealed firm erythematous nodular lesions in the face and neck, and palpable adenopathy in the left axilla. Laboratory workup showed mild anemia, and the tumour markers were negative. The staging PET-CT scan revealed left axillary and right inguinal lymph nodes metastases. The patient underwent a complete resection of the facial lesion, and the histopathology of the specimen was compatible with cutaneous metastases of signet-ring cell gastric adenocarcinoma. The patient received postoperative chemotherapy with clinical remission at 24 months follow-up. This case report of long-term survival in a metastatic gastric carcinoma emphasizes that although cutaneous metastases are rare, they should be considered when assessing suspicious lesions in patients with a history of gastric carcinoma.