Treatment of Malignant Adnexal Tumors of the Skin: A 12-Year Perspective

Abstract

Malignant adnexal cancers of the skin—extremely rare neoplasms—are mostly reported as non-symptomatic, slow-growing nodules. These carcinomas occur mainly in the middle-aged (50–60 years of age); they are mostly localized on the upper part of the body and are locally aggressive, infiltrate surrounding tissue, and metastasize to regional lymph nodes. The patients’ outcomes depend on multiple prognostic factors, including the size of the primary tumor and its mitotic count. Surgical resection of the primary tumor with or without regional lymph nodes is the treatment method of choice; however, due to aggressive tumor behavior, perioperative treatment may be considered. The role and efficacy of radiotherapy in the treatment of skin adnexal malignancies are not yet fully defined. Some authors suggest that adjuvant radiotherapy may be considered in locally advanced and regional disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate treatment outcomes and assess the efficacy of combined therapy in patients with adnexal malignancies. Our analysis covered all cases of cutaneous adnexal tumor patients diagnosed and provided with multidisciplinary treatment with surgery and radiotherapy since the beginning of 2009.

Advanced Cutaneous Scalp Eccrine Adenocarcinoma, Diagnosis and Treatment Challenges: A Case Report

“…The stability and management of eccrine carcinoma with combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy has been reported in the literature, especially when surgery is not an option [3] [7] [8]. Marcin et al reported the case of a patient who received chemotherapy combined with CAV (vincristine doxorubicine cyclophosphamide) and EP (etoposide cisplatin) for the metastatic form [9]. Joseph et al reported in response to taxane treatment in a patient with a metastatic eccrine tumor.…”

A Rare Case of a Giant Tumor of Sebaceous Glands in the Posterior Chest Wall

“…Sebaceous carcinoma is part of the group of Malignant Adnexal Tumors of the Skin (MATS) and it is a rare and aggressive tumor that accounts for less than 1% of all cutaneous tumors, but even despite that, it is the most common type among cutaneous adnexal tumors [3,7,[12][13].…”

“…About 25% of its cases are extraocular and are generally located on the head and neck, although references are pointing that the following are also possible locations for the disease: parotid, breast, ovary, prostate, trunk, and extremities [2,4,7,9,12,14].…”

“…A nonspecific clinical presentation and the presence of a painless nodular skin lesion, often involving the subcutaneous tissues, of yellowish or orange color due to lipids excess which may ulcerate or bleed does not make us immediately think of a sebaceous gland tumor [1,5,7,12,16].…”

“…The definitive diagnosis consisted of histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of an incisional biopsy or total tumor removal, allowing a differential diagnosis with several benign and malignant tumors such as; epidermoid cyst, other adnexal tumors, and basal cell carcinoma cutaneous, B-cell lymphoma, and dermatofibrosarcoma [5,7,12,19].…”