Subcutaneous metastasis at a surgical drain site after the resection of pancreatic cancer

Metastasis to the skin at the drain site after complete resection of the lower bile duct cancer: report of a case

There are extremely few reports of metastases from a lower cholangiocarcinoma to the skin except for metastatic seeding in a percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage catheter tract. This report presents a rare case of metastases to the skin after the removal of a drain following curative pancreaticoduodenectomy for lower bile duct cancer (LBDC). A 73-year-old female had undergone subtotal stomach-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy. Skin metastasis was noted at the site where the drain from the lower border at pancreaticojejunostomy had been removed 22 weeks postoperatively, and it was en bloc resected with the abdominal wall without exposing the carcinoma. Multiple nodules were confirmed in the axilla and chest wall 40 weeks after the initial operation. Careful discussion is necessary to avoid this mode of metastasis. The surgical field should not be exposed to pancreatic juice, even with LBDC. Nevertheless, this case is rare. Therefore, the risks and benefits of using such drains must be considered.

Hepatobiliary malignancies with cutaneous metastases: an analysis of 8 cases

AIM: To analyze the clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcomes of 8 cases of hepatobiliary malignancies with cutaneous metastases.

METHODS: From June 2006 to June 2009, eight patients with cutaneous metastases from hepatobiliary malignancies were treated at our hospital. By retrospectively reviewing the clinical data for these patients, the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of this disease were summarized.

RESULTS: One patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presenting as obstructive jaundice caused by bile duct tumor thrombi developed cutaneous metastasis at the port site 20 mo after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). The patient had survived 16 mo after resection of the port-site tumor and showed no recurrence. One HCC patient developed tumor at the incision site 9 mo after abdominal exploration. After the skin and liver tumors were excised, the patients survived 8 mo. One patient with combined HCC and cholangiocellular carcinoma developed multiple cutaneous metastases of cholangiocellular carcinoma and survived 8 mo. Two patients with cholangiocarcinoma and solitary nodular cutaneous metastasis received skin tumor excision and survived 8 and 10 mo, respectively. Of three patients with cholangiocarcinoma and multiple cutaneous metastases, one received chemotherapy and survived 6 mo, and the other 2 refused any treatment and survived 3 and 4 mo, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Puncture and operation procedures should be improved to avoid seeding metastasis. In patients with hepatobiliary malignancies, solitary nodular cutaneous metastasis has a better prognosis, while multiple cutaneous metastases have a worse prognosis.

Solitary drain-site recurrence after lumpectomy for breast cancer

Locoregional recurrence after breast conservative surgery is not a rare event. However, a metastatic nodule solely at the surgical drain site seems to be extremely unusual. In this report, we present a patient who received a lumpectomy for breast cancer but a metastatic nodule developed at the drain site more than two years after her surgery.

Gastric adenocarcinoma cutaneous metastasis arising at a previous surgical drain site: a case report

INTRODUCTION

Skin metastasis from internal carcinoma rarely occurs. It has an incidence of 0.7 to 9% and it may be the first sign of an unknown malignancy. However, it can also occur during follow-up.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 90-year-old female patient was admitted to our surgical division with a diagnosis of anemia from a bleeding gastric adenocarcinoma. She underwent a gastric resection and Billroth II retrocolic Hofmeister/Finsterer reconstruction. She developed an enteric fistula, which needed a permanent abdominal drain until the 60th postoperative day. After 12 months she was readmitted to our division with subacute small bowel obstruction and an erythematous swelling on the right side of the abdomen. Biopsies characterized it as a cutaneous metastasis from the gastric adenocarcinoma. No surgical therapy was performed given her poor clinical condition.

CONCLUSION

Skin metastasis from carcinomas of the upper gastrointestinal tract is very rare. Persisting erythematous nodules must be biopsied in order to diagnose cutaneous metastases and to recognize them early and start prompt therapy with anti-tumour agents before the occurrence of massive visceral metastases.