Epidermotropic metastases from breast carcinoma showing different clinical and histopathological features on the trunk and on the scalp in a single patient

Abstract

A 54-year-old female presented with the cutaneous metastases of the breast carcinoma that produced combination of pigmented zosteriform eruption on the trunk and eroded plaque on the scalp, 13 years after radical mastectomy. Histologically, zosteriform lesions displayed prominent infiltration of the epidermis in nesting or linear pattern by neoplastic cells with focal formation of intraepidermal and subepidermal vesicles due to discohesion of tumor cells and dermal edema. Examination of scalp plaque revealed ulcerations and infiltration of the epidermis with scattered basal and suprabasal malignant cells in pagetoid fashion. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were cytokeratin 7- and estrogen receptor-positive and cytokeratin 20 negative. HMB-45 and Melan-A-stained numerous dendritic melanocytes intermingled with intraepidermal and superficial dermal tumor cells in the trunk lesion, whereas on the scalp, only occasional melanocytes surrounding intraepidermal carcinomatous cells were identified. Our case described, to our knowledge, so far unreported combination of individually rare, clinical and histological patterns of cutaneous metastases from breast carcinoma in a single patient. © Blackwell Munksgaard 2003.