title: Cutaneous lesions of metastatic visceral malignancy mimicking pyogenic granuloma.
abstract: Cutaneous metastases may be the first sign of a previously undiagnosed visceral malignancy or the initial presentation of a recurrent neoplasm. Rarely, skin metastases can resemble a pyogenic granuloma. Three oncology patients who developed new pyogenic granuloma-like cutaneous lesions are described. Histopathologic examination showed metastatic visceral malignancy in the skin. The characteristics of the previously reported cancer patients with metastatic tumor to the skin that mimicked a pyogenic granuloma are reviewed. A biopsy of a skin lesion that clinically appears to represent a pyogenic granuloma should be performed for microscopic examination in patients with a previous visceral malignancy or in cancer-free individuals whose lesions do not resolve after conservative treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Universitat zu Koln, Germany.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hager
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D017789:Granuloma, Pyogenic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary*