Involvement of the Skin in Renal Carcinoma

Involvement of the skin secondary to renal carcinoma may occur in two forms, either by way of metastasis or by direct extension of the tumor to the skin. Direct extension to the skin may take place either to the scar produced by a nephrectomy or to the external genitals. Although we have found reports of 69 cases of cutaneous involvement in renal carcinoma, only 2 of them were reported in the dermatologic literature. Since these two reports consist merely of a brief presentation of a case before a dermatologic society by Goldschlag34and a photograph in Sutton's textbook35depicting metastases of a renal carcinoma to the scalp, we feel a report of two cases observed at Massachusetts General Hospital is indicated. After the report of these two cases we shall list and briefly discuss all 69 cases of cutaneous involvement from renal carcinoma encountered