Incidental case of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in the posterior thoracic wall: A cadaveric finding

Occurrence of secondary tumors from visceral carcinomas on the thoracic cage represent a relatively rare form of metastasis. We present in this report an extremely rare case of an incidental finding of tumor mass (squamous cell carcinoma) in the thoracic wall of an adult male cadaver. During routine dissection of thoracic cavity, we noticed this unique tumor in the posterior thoracic wall. Its gross measurements were noted and a small piece of the tumor mass was processed for histopathological examination, to confirm its nature. The H&E stained section showed presence of infiltrating tumor composed of islands of squamous cells with pleomorphic nuclei, course chromatin, scattered dyskeratotic cells and foci of keratin pearl formation, which confirmed the tumor to be secondary metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. Such metastatic tumors with very rare occurrence are an interesting diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for thoracic surgeons.