"Clown nose" as a first manifestation of lung carcinoma

Clown Nose: A Rare Hypopharyngeal Cancer Metastasis

Cutaneous metastases from squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region are uncommon, and their location at the nasal tip is exceptionally rare. A patient, previously treated with surgery and chemoradiation for a hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, developed several red nodular skin lesions at the nasal tip. Biopsy revealed cutaneous metastasis from the primary tumor. This manifestation was previously described as a "clown nose," given their appearance and location. Skin lesions should raise suspicion of malignancy, despite their location at uncommon places, particularly in patients with previous diagnosed cancer. Clinicians must be aware that metastases from head and neck cancer can present as a "clown nose."

Update of Clown Nose-Like Lesion, a Underrecognized Manifestation of Metastatic Malignancies and Genetic Cancer Predisposition Syndromes

Clown nose-like lesion refers to the manifestation of a reddish or skin-colored bulge on the tip of the nose or the manifestation of bulbous tip of the nose. More and more clinical cases show that clown nose-like lesion can also be the indication of some genetic syndromes, not just the manifestation of metastatic visceral tumor as it initially proposed. However, the clinical features of clown nose-like lesion indicated by metastatic malignancies, genetic cancer predisposition syndromes or primary diseases involving the nasal tip are lacking. In this study, patients with clown nose-like lesion in our clinical practices and from published literatures were collected and reviewed. We found that clown nose-like lesions caused by metastatic malignancies including lung cancer are often solitary and more common in male (24/31) older individuals (average age 62.3, ranging 40–78 years old). In addition, they usually appear for a short time, and are prone to be misdiagnosed as primary nasal diseases, leading to a poor prognosis (all patients with data available died within 4 months). Clown nose-like lesions associated with genetic cancer predisposition syndromes usually develop at a young age (mean age 15.3) with female preference (9/10). They are accompanied by multiple-systemic involvements, including low hair volume, developmental delay, cancer predisposition or neurological diseases. They show slow development and often positive family history (6/10). These two kinds of clown nose-like lesions are often asymptomatic, which delays the diagnosis and treatment of underlying malignancies or syndromes. In brief, the term of clown nose-like lesion is underrecognized, and should be updated. Clown nose-like lesions can serve as indicators to at least three categories of clinical issues: metastatic visceral tumors, genetic syndromes, and primary diseases involving the nasal tip. Increased awareness of clinical features of updated clown nose-like lesions can alert physicians to these underlying malignancies or syndromes, render earlier detection of associated medical issues, and allow for genetic counseling of family members.

"Clown nose" as first manifestation of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung

BACKGROUND

Skin metastases occur in 0.7% to 9% of all patients with cancer and are usually considered a late event in the evolution of most visceral carcinomas. The development of a nodular metastatic lesion on the nasal tip is known as clown nose sign.

MAIN OBSERVATION

We report a 64-year-old man that developed a nodular lesion on his nasal tip as first manifestation of squamous lung carcinoma.

CONCLUSION

The biopsy of the cutaneous metastasis may be helpful to histopathologically confirm the suspected primary tumour avoiding invasive diagnostic procedures.

Clown nose: a case of disfiguring nodular squamous cell carcinoma of the face

'Clown nose' (CN) is the common medical term referring to a reddish-brown bulge involving the tip of the nose, reminding of a clown's fake red nose. Reports about these tumours are scarce. Most reports refer to metastatic skin manifestation of systemic malignancies: this condition has been rarely described as a primary skin neoplasm. We report a case of a 31-year-old patient with a giant cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the nose which evolved into a CN. After ruling out genetic or immune risk factors, the patient was treated with surgical excision of the lesion and local reconstruction with good aesthetic outcome and no recurrence over a 2-year follow-up.