Open AccessMetastatic dermatosis in breast carcinoma on adjuvant trastuzumab: Is skin a sanctuary site in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-amplified disease?
Author(s) -
Amit Sehrawat,
Sumedha Kotwal,
KM Parthasarathy
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
indian journal of dermatology/indian journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.395
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1998-3611
pISSN - 0019-5154
DOI - 10.4103/ijd.ijd_234_18
Subject(s) - trastuzumab , medicine , breast cancer , adjuvant , epidermal growth factor receptor , oncology , adjuvant therapy , cancer , human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 , breast carcinoma , metastasis , cancer research , metastatic breast cancer
Cutaneous metastasis (CM) from internal malignancies is commonly seen. Sometimes, skin metastases can be the first sign of advanced cancer or an indicator of cancer recurrence. Cases of breast cancer with cutaneous progression after or during trastuzumab therapy have been described in the past, frequently associated with systemic disease progression. However, CM during adjuvant trastuzumab therapy is very rare. It has been hypothesized that cancer cells located in the skin survive and take proliferative advantage by virtue of an immune-tolerance mechanism that hampers trastuzumab-mediated antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. We describe a case of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-overexpressing breast cancer presenting with diffuse CM during adjuvant trastuzumab therapy.