Fine needle aspiration cytology of acrometastasis. A report of two cases

Abstract

We describe two cases of adenocarcinoma metastatic to the fingers diagnosed by fine needle aspiration (FNA). In one case pain in the finger lesion was the presenting symptom of bronchogenic carcinoma, and the cytologic examination led to discovery of the primary neoplasm. In the second case, FNA of the finger lesion helped document the presence of extensive osseous metastasis from a primary adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction. These cases illustrate the usefulness of FNA biopsy in distinguishing acrometastasis from other, more common, nonneoplastic, destructive lesions, which it can mimic clinically.