ABSTRACT
Some skin disorders are precipitated by an underlying malignancy and others almost always indicate a visceral neoplasm. Carcinomas of the breast, bronchus, stomach, kidney and prostate are the most common visceral neoplasms to metastasize to the skin. Secondary deposits on the skin may be the first sign of the underlying visceral cancer. Blood tests reveal increased circulating glucagon, hyperglycaemia and hypoaminoacidaemia and it is the last of these that may be responsible for this curious skin disorder. Carcinomas of the breast, bronchus, stomach, kidney and prostate are the most common visceral neoplasms to metastasize to the skin. The most consistent clinical feature of cushing’s syndrome is skin thinning. The underlying veins can be easily seen and the skin has a ‘transparent’ quality. The thinning is due to the suppressive action of glucocorticoids on the growth and synthetic activity of dermal fibroblasts and the epidermis.
