Abstract
Simple SummaryMetastasis is the last stage in the development of cancer and usually results in mortality. Cutaneous metastases (CMs) account for 2% of all skin malignancies. Nearly 70% of CMs in women originate from breast cancer (BC). Since CM is usually associated with poor prognosis, the development of management strategies for these patients remains an important clinical challenge. Identifying molecular markers in primary BC that predict CMs and determining the molecular differences between primary tumors and their metastases is of great interest for designing new therapeutic approaches.Cutaneous metastases (CMs) account for 2% of all skin malignancies, and nearly 70% of CMs in women originate from breast cancer (BC). CMs are usually associated with poor prognosis, are difficult to treat, and can pose diagnostic problems, such as in histopathological diagnosis when occurring long after development of the primary tumor. In addition, the molecular differences between the primary tumors and their CMs, and between CMs and metastases in other organs, are not well defined. Here, we review the main clinical, pathological, and molecular characteristics of breast cancer CMs. Identifying molecular markers in primary BC that predict CM and can be used to determine the molecular differences between primary tumors and their metastases is of great interest for the design of new therapeutic approaches.
Highlights
Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent neoplastic disease among women worldwide
BC cells predominantly metastasize to the lungs, bones, and brain [5], the metastatic pattern varies among different subtypes
The incidence of brain metastases in HER2-positive BCs is high [9,10], and nearly 50% of patients with advanced disease die from central nervous system progression [11]
Summary
Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent neoplastic disease among women worldwide. In women, it represents around 30% of all new cancer cases and is the leading cause of cancer death [1,2]. Metastatic disease is the last stage in the development of cancer, and the outcome is usually fatal It is a complex process in which the cells of a primary tumor propagate to distal organs by invading local tissues and blood and/or lymphatic vessels, followed by uncontrolled growth in these distal tissues [3,4]. The distributions of cases among the different molecular phenotypes in the studies of Kong et al [22] and Luna et al [23] differ from those in the remainder of the series in the number of cases HER2positive and the series of Luna et al [23] in the number of cases TN; Kong et al [22] included 125 women with skin and/or soft tissue metastasis, in which 42.4% were HRpositive, 34.4% were HER2-positive, and 23.2% were TN; and Luna et al [23] included 26 cases, 27% of which were HR-positive/HER2-negative, 27% HER2-positive, 39% TN, and 7% unknown (Table 1)
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