Cutaneous Mast Cells in Carcinoid

Introduction  The skin manifestations of functioning carcinoid consist of repeated transient flushings eventually followed by permanent telangiectasias.⁴ These telangiectasias develop in more persistently flushed areas when the disease runs a protracted course. The flushes are most frequent in the face but may also affect the trunk and extremities. They frequently localize on the neck and over the sternum.In May, 1959, a 67-year-old white man with malignant carcinoid of the terminal ileum was hospitalized for treatment. This patient showed a fine network of telangiectasias over the lower part of the face, on the upper neck, and in the upper sternal region. Because he was gravely ill, no good photograph of the lesions could be taken. However, the appearance of these telangiectasias was very similar to an eruption seen in another patient on the same ward the previous year. This latter patient, a 49-year-old white man, did not suffer from