Cutaneous metastasis from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A case report

BACKGROUND Esophageal cancer is a common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Cutaneous metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is rare, particularly in diffuse skin metastasis.CASE SUMMARY In this case report, we describe an 82-year-old male who was diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The tumor was staged as T4N3M1(Stage IVB). The pathological findings revealed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Four months after diagnosis, the patient began chemotherapy, and symptoms were relieved after four cycles of chemotherapy. After that, the patient returned home without a systematic physical examination. One year after diagnosis, the patient realized that the skin of the abdominal wall was hard and rough without pain, and the color became darker than normal skin. Thirteen months after diagnosis, a biopsy of the patient’s abdominal lesion revealed that the skin metastasis was derived from the esophagus. Then the patient received two cycles of apatinib combined with docetaxel, but the abdominal lesion worsened. Two cycles of nivolumab were administered, but the patient eventually died of multiple organ failure.CONCLUSION This report highlights cutaneous metastasis as a late and untreatable metastasis of esophageal cancer.