Nasal Tip Cutaneous Metastases Secondary to Lung Carcinoma: Three Case Reports and a Review of the Literature

Abstract

Cutaneous metastatic carcinoma of the nose is a rare presentation associated with lung cancer. We report here 3 cases of cutaneous metastatic carcinoma of the nose that originated from lung cancer. Two men, age 61 and 76 years, with lung cancers were referred for evaluation of a tumour on the tip of the nose. The third patient, a 57-year-old man, had developed a rosacea-like tumour on the tip of the nose; although he had no history of internal cancer, whole-body positron-emission tomography–computed tomography revealed a primary lung cancer. Skin biopsies of all 3 cases showed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, and all primary lung cancers were squamous cell carcinomas. Only 3 patients are described here, and further reports are needed to substantiate this interesting phenomenon. When an elderly patient presents to dermatology with a tumour on the nose with or without known internal cancer, it is necessary to approach the diagnosis with caution.