Hand metastasis in a patient with cervical cancer: A case report

Cancer Metastases to the Hand: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Metastatic lesions to the hand or wrist are rare and can mimic inflammatory and benign processes such as gout and infections. This often leads to misdiagnosis, underreporting, and delays in treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine all known cases of metastasis to the hand or wrist available in the literature and to analyze demographic trends, metastasis characteristics, and clinical course, and provide recommendations for management.

METHODS

An online systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library from inception to January 7, 2022, was completed. Studies outlining the care of a patient with acrometastases of the hand were included. Data extracted included age, sex, site of primary tumor and metastasis, presence of other metastases, time from primary diagnosis to acrometastasis diagnosis, misdiagnosis, treatment, and survival.

RESULTS

Between 1889 and present, 871 lesions were described in 676 patients who met the inclusion criteria. There was no predilection for hand dominance or site of previous trauma. The mean age among patients was 59.5 (1.5-91) years, and male sex was more common (64.6%). The most common primary cancer source was the lung (39.2%), followed by the kidney (10.8%). The distal phalanx was the most frequently cited tumor location (33.7%). Mean survival after diagnosis of acrometastasis was 6.3 months (0.25-50) ± 11.5 months.

CONCLUSION

Acrometastasis remains an uncommon presentation of metastatic disease with poor prognosis. Treatment currently focuses on pain management and optimizing functional outcomes. Our review led to the development of 7 treatment recommendations when managing these patients.

Acrometastases to the Hand and Wrist: A Series of 9 Cases and Review of the Literature

Introduction Acrometastases are extremely rare in the hand, with a prevalence of around 0.1% according to the literature. They are normally associated with advanced tumor stages, especially in lung cancer. The present article shows the experience of our center in the management and treatment of these pathologies.

Materials and Methods We report a series of 9 cases treated between 1992 and 2020 in the hand and wrist. Data regarding the primary tumor, the target organ, and survival are analyzed. A review of the cases of acrometastasis reported in the literature is also carried out, emphasizing in how many of then the acral lesion was the first sign of an unknown tumor.

Results Acrometastases predominantly affect male patients aged around 60 years, and the primary tumor that is the cause in most cases is lung cancer, with a very low survival rate after the diagnosis (of approximately 8 months).

Discussion and Conclusions In cases of acral lesion of non-traumatic origin, acrometastases should be considered, especially in patients who have a known primary tumor. In the present series, there were three cases in which the acrometastases were the first sign of a tumor in the patient, and in one of them it was initially treated as whitlow. In the literature, in approximately 50% of the cases, acrometastases are the first sign of the presence of a tumor.

Once diagnosed, multidisciplinary medicosurgical treatment is essential to improve the patient's function and pain as much as possible.

Mistaking a Tumour for an Infection - Acrometastasis of the Finger from Endocervical Adenosquamous Carcinoma: A Case Report

Acrometastasis is rare with a very low incidence of all bone metastasis. It can present with swelling, pain and warmth with erythema that may mimic an infection especially in the distal phalanx. Due to its rarity and subtle clinical presentation, it can be misdiagnosed as an infection causing the treatment to be delayed. We report a 42-year-old female with an acrometastasis to the distal phalanx of the left middle finger which we mistook as an infection thus delaying her treatment. It was a terminal presentation of her endocervical adenosquamous carcinoma. We would like to highlight that acrometastasis has an indistinct presentation and in cases where the lesion does not respond to treatment, acrometastasis should be included as one of the differential diagnoses. Thus, physicians need to have a high level of suspicion in patients with a primary malignant tumour.

Splenic oligometastasis from cervical adenocarcinoma three years after disease free survival: A case report and a review of literature

Introduction

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among females. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common subtype of cervical cancer, followed by adenocarcinoma. The most reported sites of metastasis are the lungs, bones, liver, and brain. One of the rarest sites of metastasis, particularly from the adenocarcinoma subtype, is the spleen, with only four reported cases in the literature.

Case report

A 54-year-old post-menopausal female was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the endocervix (FIGO stage IIIB) after she presented to the gynecologist complaining of post-coital vaginal bleeding. The patient received chemoradiotherapy followed by brachytherapy. After completion of treatment, she had a restaging work-up which revealed a complete radiological and pathological response. During her routine follow-up, she was found to have a new splenic lesion by surveillance abdominopelvic MRI three years after completion of treatment. Surgical resection was performed, and pathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic cervical adenocarcinoma to spleen.

Conclusion

Cervical cancer metastasis to spleen is very rare, especially in the cervical adenocarcinoma subtype. A high index of suspicion is necessary during follow-up. Once there is a suspicion of splenic metastasis, surgical intervention should be considered for both curative and palliative intents.

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Solitary splenic metastasis of cervical adenocarcinoma is rare.

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A high index of suspicion is necessary during follow-up of cervical cancer.

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Splenectomy is the definitive treatment in cases of solitary splenic metastasis.

Acrometastases to the Hand: A Systematic Review

Background and Objectives: The term acrometastases (AM) refers to secondary lesions sited distally to the elbow and knee, representing 0.1% of all bony metastases. By frequency, pulmonary cancer and gastrointestinal and genitourinary tract neoplasms are the most responsible for the reported AM. Improvements in oncologic patient care favor an increase in the incidence of such rare cases. We performed a systematic review of acrometastases to the hand to provide further insight into the management of these fragile patients. We also present a peculiar case of simultaneous acrometastasis to the ring finger and pathological vertebral fracture. Material and Methods: A literature search according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement was conducted using the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases in December 2020 on metastasis to the hand and wrist, from 1986 to 2020. MeSH terms included acrometastasis, carpal metastasis, hand metastasis, finger metastasis, phalangeal metastasis, and wrist metastasis. Results: In total, 215 studies reporting the follow-up of 247 patients were analyzed, with a median age of 62 years (range 10–91 years). Overall, 162 out of 247 patients were males (65.6%) and 85 were females (34.4%). The median reported follow-up was 5 months (range 0.5–39). The median time from primary tumor diagnosis to acrometastasis was 24 months (range 0.7–156). Acrometastases were located at the finger/phalanx (68.4%), carpal (14.2%), metacarpal (14.2%), or other sites (3.2%). The primary tumors were pulmonary in 91 patients (36.8%). The average interval from primary tumor diagnosis to acrometastasis varied according to the primary tumor type from 2 months (in patients with mesenchymal tumors) to 64.0 months (in patients with breast cancer). Conclusions: Acrometastases usually develop in the late stage of oncologic disease and are associated with short life expectancy. Their occurrence can no longer be considered rare; physicians should thus be updated on their surgical management and their impact on prognosis and survival.