Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Cutaneous metastases and malignant infiltrations occur in 1% to 10% of patients with metastatic disease (to any organ). Their recognition is important because they have profound prognostic implications.
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate cutaneous metastases and infiltrations in a population of Iraqi patients.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Cutaneous malignant infiltrations were diagnosed in (30) patients (23 F, 7 M) attending                         the dermatology clinic at Baghdad Teaching Hospital during a period of 21 months. All patients were evaluated clinically; a biopsy was obtained for routine H/E examination and special stains when indicated. Patients were evaluated for presence of internal malignancy by proper investigations including U/S, CT when indicated.
RESULTS:
The age of patients ranged from 37 to 75 years with a mean +/-SD (52.66+/- 10.08) years.                     The most common primary cancer was breast cancer followed by malignant melanoma. The most common site for cutaneous infiltrations was chest followed by back then abdomen. Regarding                 the clinical presentation, the most common presentation was dermal and subcutaneous nodules, followed by carcinoma erysipeloides. Nine patients presented with cutaneous infiltration without  a history of previous cancer, in the rest of patients the mean duration between the discovery of primary and secondary tumors +/-SD (26.9 +/-19.2) months. The most common histopathological findings were dermal nodules, Indian filing, and signet ring cells. Intravascular invasion was detected in 7 patients.
CONCLUSION:
Cutaneous malignant infiltration is a common problem facing dermatologist with variable presentations. It can be the presenting sign of internal malignancy or follows the discovery                   of tumor by many months.