Distant Cutaneous Metastasis Of Malignant Epithelioid Mesothelioma

Journal of Cutaneous Pathology 2020 November 30 [Link]

Katrina Collins, Priyadharsini Nagarajan, Phyu P Aung

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma is a locally aggressive malignancy most commonly arising from the pleural and/or peritoneal cavity. Distant cutaneous metastasis is extremely rare. Here, we describe two cases of mesothelioma metastatic to the head and neck skin. Case 1: A 64-year-old man diagnosed previously with extensive thoracic and abdominal mesothelioma, developed a rapidly growing right upper lip lesion, for which a wedge resection was performed. Case 2: A 77-year-old woman with a history of pleural mesothelioma developed a firm, mobile subcutaneous nodule on the right lateral forehead, clinically thought to represent either an epidermal inclusion cyst or a lipoma. A punch biopsy was performed. In both cases, histopathologic evaluation revealed dermal proliferation of epithelioid cells with moderate cytologic atypia and 3 mitotic figures/mm2 and 2 mitotic figures/mm2 for Case 1 and Case 2, respectively. Immunohistochemical studies revealed the lesional cells to be positive for WT1, mesothelin, D2-40, CK5/6, while being negative for melanocytic and other keratinocytic markers, supporting a diagnosis of metastatic mesothelioma. Awareness of rare instances of cutaneous metastases from malignant mesothelioma is necessary to avoid possible misdiagnosis and ensure appropriate management.