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What Causes Red Spots On The Forearm While Having Colorectal Carcinoma?
Question: Hello, my husband is at home with me in hospice care for 3 months now. He has advanced colorectal cancer. Last week, we noticed a red bruise-like mark on his forearm, we noticed it had expanded today. I googled it and it does resemble a cutaneous metastases. There will be no more doctors visits for a cure, but I was wondering if there will likely be more of these spots on him. What does it indicate? Will it be painful later? (it is not painful now). In all my research about his disease, I haven't run across this "symptom" yet. So wanted to know more about it. For what it's worth, he is a very active terminal cancer patient, he is ambulatory, gardens, cooks, shops, etc. Can't keep a good man down. So I am always confused about where he is in his disease progression. Wanted to know more about this spot on his arm.
Brief Answer:
Cutaneous metastasis is very rare.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for choosing HealthcareMagic for your query.
Have gone through your details and i appreciate your concern.
Cutaneous metastasis of internal malignancies like colorectal carcinoma is very rarely seen, occurring in 2-3% of all malignancies.It usually indicates intralymphatic and/or intravascular tumor dissemination with a poor prognosis.
However please note that according to NCBI-
"Rectal carcinoma metastases to the skin have no distinctive features, presenting most often as small subcutaneous or intradermal nodules that measure 1 cm to 2 cm in diameter and tend to coalesce. These nodules tend to be asymptomatic, firm, rubbery, and painless"
Fortunately what your husband is having according to you is a expanding bruise like mark there is no nodule etc. This appearance is highly unspecific of characterstic metastatic lesion of rectal cancer.
I feel its too early for you to make a big and rare diagnosis of Cutaneous metatasis. Firstly go for a test called serum platelet level if platelets are normal give him antihistaminic like allegra for 5 days. in case if bruise still persists then further testing is recommended.
To make a diagnosis positron emission tomographic scan of the part where bruise is there would be done.
However as per the description given by you i don't think that its skin metastasis.The tissues that support the underlying blood vessels become more fragile in patients of cancer due to severe muscle wasting hence bruises are very common in terminal stage patients.
These nodules are painless.
Hope i answered you query well.
In case you have more doubts feel free to ask follow up question.
I am really sorry for his condition, My heart felt sympathies are with you and your family.
"Experience life in all possible ways — good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don’t be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become.This pain is not to make you sad, remember. Thats where people go on missing. This pain is just to make you more alert–because people become alert only when the arrow goes deep into their heart and wounds them." -Osho
I know these words can't take away your pain but may be they can comfort you for sometime.
I wish you a great luck may god bless you and your husband(Brave heart),
Regards.
Cutaneous metastasis is very rare.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for choosing HealthcareMagic for your query.
Have gone through your details and i appreciate your concern.
Cutaneous metastasis of internal malignancies like colorectal carcinoma is very rarely seen, occurring in 2-3% of all malignancies.It usually indicates intralymphatic and/or intravascular tumor dissemination with a poor prognosis.
However please note that according to NCBI-
"Rectal carcinoma metastases to the skin have no distinctive features, presenting most often as small subcutaneous or intradermal nodules that measure 1 cm to 2 cm in diameter and tend to coalesce. These nodules tend to be asymptomatic, firm, rubbery, and painless"
Fortunately what your husband is having according to you is a expanding bruise like mark there is no nodule etc. This appearance is highly unspecific of characterstic metastatic lesion of rectal cancer.
I feel its too early for you to make a big and rare diagnosis of Cutaneous metatasis. Firstly go for a test called serum platelet level if platelets are normal give him antihistaminic like allegra for 5 days. in case if bruise still persists then further testing is recommended.
To make a diagnosis positron emission tomographic scan of the part where bruise is there would be done.
However as per the description given by you i don't think that its skin metastasis.The tissues that support the underlying blood vessels become more fragile in patients of cancer due to severe muscle wasting hence bruises are very common in terminal stage patients.
These nodules are painless.
Hope i answered you query well.
In case you have more doubts feel free to ask follow up question.
I am really sorry for his condition, My heart felt sympathies are with you and your family.
"Experience life in all possible ways — good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don’t be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become.This pain is not to make you sad, remember. Thats where people go on missing. This pain is just to make you more alert–because people become alert only when the arrow goes deep into their heart and wounds them." -Osho
I know these words can't take away your pain but may be they can comfort you for sometime.
I wish you a great luck may god bless you and your husband(Brave heart),
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
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