A rare case of multiple skin metastases from squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer is an aggressive disease that generally has a poor prognosis. Patients affected by the disease usually present with signs and symptoms related to local growth of the tumor, gastrointestinal bleeding and nutritional impairment. Skin metastases are rare events, associated with advanced stage and poor survival. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 51-year-old man who presented poor general status, dysphagia, weight loss and skin lesions disseminated throughout the body. Endoscopic examination revealed the presence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and biopsies of skin lesions showed metastasis of this cancer to the esophagus. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that any suspicious lesion that presents together with a history of gastrointestinal malignancy should be biopsied, since it can change the staging and prognosis of patients.