Symptoms of breast cancer skin metastasis

Breast cancer metastasis often occurs in the trunk, but can also occur in other parts, such as the upper limbs and head. Breast cancer spreads through the lymphatic vessels. There are four types of metastasis, namely inflammatory carcinoma, telangiectatic carcinoma, nodular carcinoma and armor tumor. The fifth type occurs through the blood circulation and is quite rare. Several types may occur in the same patient at the same time.

1. Inflammatory carcinoma: The breast skin and adjacent skin appear as red patches that are slightly hardened, similar to erysipelas and cellulitis, with increased local temperature and clear boundaries.

2. Telangiectatic carcinoma: It manifests as clustered, purple-red papules and small blisters, similar to angiolymphangioma, and may be accompanied by excessive pigmentation.

3. Nodular carcinoma: Asymptomatic hard nodules can be seen in the skin and subcutaneous tissue, which may form ulcers and excessive pigmentation.

4. Carcinoma encuirasse: Diffuse scleroderma-like nodules often appear on the breast skin and surrounding skin affected by the cancer.

5. Hematogenous dissemination from breast carcinoma: Usually only a single distant metastasis is seen, but some patients may also have multiple metastases, often on the scalp. Initially, when metastases occur on the scalp but before the epidermis bulges, the lesions resemble alopecia areata, so some people call it tumor-induced alopecia.