TITLE:
ALK-Rearranged Lung Adenocarcinoma Initially Presenting with Cutaneous Metastases: A Case Report
AUTHORS:
Harshitha Dudipala, Clare Townsend, Navid Alavi, Peter Everett
KEYWORDS:
ALK-Rearranged, Lung Adenocarcinoma, Cutaneous Metastases, Case Report
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.12 No.7,
July
20,
2023
ABSTRACT: Only 1% - 12% of patients with lung cancer develop cutaneous metastases. While adenocarcinoma is incredibly common, it is rare for a cutaneous manifestation of the disease to be the initial presenting complaint. Skin manifestations can be difficult to identify and can appear to be deceptively benign, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment. ALK+ lung cancer specifically has an increased frequency of distant lymph node involvement and lymphangitic carcinomatosis relative to typical EGFR+ lung cancer. Herein we report a case of ALK-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma that initially presented as cutaneous skin metastases to the neck. Such skin lesions should be identified early, and considered as a potential manifestation of an internal malignancy. Given the poor prognosis associated with cutaneous metastases, further diagnostic tests, such as imaging or biopsy, should be done with urgency.