Primary apocrine sweat gland carcinomas of the axilla: a report of two cases and a review of the literature

Abstract

Primary apocrine sweat gland carcinoma (PASGC) is an extremely rare malignancy with a relatively favorable prognosis. PASGC is often suspected to be a benign disease during an initial clinical examination, which leads to inadequate initial treatment and extensive metastasis. Owing to the limited number of reports on PASGC, its diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines have not yet been established. The only known curative therapy for localized PASGC is wide local excision. In the present report, we describe two cases of PASGC with locally aggressive disease that arose in the axilla and review the literature about its clinicopathological features, diagnosis, and treatment. Based on the findings of the current report, we suggest that a sentinel lymph node biopsy and adjuvant anti-estrogen therapy should be included in the management of PASGC.

Epidemiological and histopathological analysis of 40 apocrine sweat gland carcinomas in dogs: a retrospective study

“…Mutations of several genes, particularly gene p53, were previously described in several malignant tumours of the sweat gland in humans, with indication of ultraviolet radiation as one of inducting factors (3). Low incidence of the cancer precludes not only clinical trials, but also possibilities of extensive research on this tumour in human medicine, as only isolated cases of human apocrine sweat gland cancer have been reported in the literature worldwide (1,6,10,13,14). Moreover, in humans, apocrine sweat gland carcinomas are classified as a subtype of sweat gland tumours, which account for around 0.01% of primary skin tumours (1).…”

Primary apocrine carcinoma of the axilla in a male patient: a case report

“…Review of literature supports high local recurrence and regional lymph node metastasis but sparse evidence of distant metastasis [1]. Metastasis has been reported in about 30% of cases [2,8].…”

“…Primary apocrine carcinoma of the sweat gland is an extremely rare neoplasm with around 50 cases reported in the literature so far 1. It's usually slow growing, giving the clinical picture of a benign lesion but can sometimes progress rapidly and aggressively 2, 3, 4, 5.…”

“…Mostly it affects the axilla and anogenital region but it can also affect the scalp, eyelid, ear, lip, chest, nipple, fingers, and toes 1, 2, 4. Apocrine carcinoma frequently affects the elderly population with a median age of 67 1. There is no racial or gender predisposition noted 4.…”

“…Clinically, it often presents as painless, indurate, nodules, or plaques [6,7]. Mostly it affects the axilla and anogenital region but it can also affect the scalp, eyelid, ear, lip, chest, nipple, fingers, and toes [1,2,4]. Apocrine carcinoma frequently affects the elderly population with a median age of 67 [1].…”