Lymphangiosis Carcinomatosa in a Patient with Giant Cutaneous SCC: Cervicopectoral Advancement Flap in Combination with Tunnel Transposition Flap from the Back as Promising Treatment Approach?

Background: One of the features characterising cutaneous SCC as high-risk is lymphovascular infiltration. The diffuse lymphangitic spread of carcinogenic cells is defined as the so-called lymphangitis carcinomatosa. In some cases, it is the only and first sign to alert the presence of an underlying malignancy. Therefore, biopsy in patients with clinical data on lymphangiosis carcinomatosa is of paramount importance.

Case Report: We present a 77-year-old man with a progressively growing tumour formation in the area of the right shoulder, clinically suspected for SCC. During the dermatological examination, it was found that the lesion was surrounded by an infiltrated, perilesional relief shaft, which was histologically verified as lymphangitis carcinomatosa. The tumour formation was removed by radical excision and formation of a large skin-subcutaneous defect. To correct the surgical defect, a cervico-pectoral flap was performed, followed by tunnel transposition of the scapular graft through the deltoid muscle. The preoperative, ultrasound-marked artery was the arteria circumflexa scapulae dextra, which was used as the foot of the scapular graft and at the same time ensuring its blood supply. After the performed surgical flaps there remains a small uncovered surgical defect, which was left for subsequent secondary healing or full thickness mesh graft. The subsequent histological examination of the removed tumour formation detected the presence of squamous cell carcinoma.

Conclusion: Patients with the simultaneous presence of two different pathological cutaneous changes, located in the immediate proximity often require a multidisciplinary and complex treatment approach. For tumour formations close to the area of the neck, the cervical-pectoral flap provides optimal cosmetic recovery of the surgical defect. The tunnel transposition is an individualised, unconventional and difficult to implement the approach, which however showed a good therapeutic result. On the other hand, the preoperative histological examination of reddish peritumoral localised tentacles leads to 1) diagnosis of lymphangiosis carcinomatosa as well as 2) the subsequent precise determination of the limits of surgical excision, which is a large number of cases saves the need for secondary re-excision in these patients.