Cutaneous metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma in six cases

Abstract

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics and therapeutic effects of cutaneous metastasis from cholangiocarcinoma. Methods From 2006 to 2009, clinical data of 6 patients found with cutaneous metastasis from cholangiocarcinoma were reported. Perineural and vascular invasion were all found in the primary cholangiocarcinoma in these 6 cases with cutaneous metastasis and results were compared with 60 cases of cholangiocarcinoma without cutaneous metastasis. Follow-up to the 6 patients with cutaneous metastases was conducted at an interval of three months. Results One patient with mixed hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinoma developed cutaneous metastatic tumor and the pathological diagnosis was cholangiocellular carcinoma. Three patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma and two patients with distal cholangiocarcinoma presented cutaneous metastases. All six cases of the primary cancers and cutaneous metastases were diagnosed as moderately- poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. And there was perineural and vascular invasion in the primary tumors. Perineural and vascular invasion of primary cancer was found in 17of 60 patients with cholangiocarcinoma and without cutaneous metastasis. The cutaneous metastasis was positively correlated to the perineural and vascular invasion in the primary tumor （χ2 = 12. 7288, P 〈0. 001 ）. Two of 6 cases presenting solitary nodular cutaneous metastasis received skin tumor excision. These two patients survived 8 and 10 months respectively. Among four patients with multiple cutaneous metastases,two cases received chemotherapy and survived 3 and 6 months respectively, the other two cases refusing treatment survived 3 and 4 months respectively. Conclusions Cutaneous metastasis usually occurred at cholangiocarcinoma with lower differentation and perineural and vascular invasion in the primary tumor.Solitary nodular cutaneous metastasis could be excised, multiple cutaneous metastases had poor prognosis. Key words: Bile duct neoplasms;  Skin;  Neoplasm metastasis