Scalp metastasis in carcinoma of the uterine cervix - A rare entity

Background. Distant metastasis in carcinoma of uterine cervix is a rare manifestation and bone metastasis is uncommon. Case. A 60-year-old woman treated by radical radiotherapy for moderately differentiated cervical carcinoma FIGO stage IIIB presented 4 months later with swelling over right side of the scalp. Fine needle aspiration cytology from swelling showed poorly differentiated metastatic carcinoma. X-ray of the skull was suggestive of osteolytic metastasis of calvaria. Conclusion. Bone metastasis in cervical carcinoma is a late manifestation of advanced malignancy and heralds poor prognosis. Scalp metastasis is a very rarely reported phenomenon. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).