Acta Dermato-Venereologica Issue 8, 2017 97-8CompleteContent | Page 18
SHORT COMMUNICATION
959
Sebaceous Carcinomas of the Skin: 24 Cases and a Literature Review
Roger HABER 1 , Maxime BATTISTELLA 2 , Cecile PAGES 1 , Martine BAGOT 1,3 , Celeste LEBBE 1,3 and Nicole BASSET-SEGUIN 1,3
1
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, 2 Department of Pathology, Université Paris 7, Saint Louis Hospital, 1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux,
FR-75010 Paris, France. E-mail: [email protected]
Accepted Apr 27, 2017; Epub ahead of print Apr 27, 2017
Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a highly aggressive tumour
arising from the sebaceous glands (1). SC is a rare neo
plasm that represents 1% of all eyelid tumours and 4.7%
of malignant epithelial eyelid tumours. The majority of SC
are located in the head and neck region, primarily in the
periocular area (75%), i.e. eyelid, orbit and conjunctiva,
where sebaceous glands of Meibomius and Zeis are the
most common (1–3). SC may occur sporadically or be
part of Muir-Torre syndrome (MTS), a rare autosomal-
dominant genodermatosis characterized by sebaceous
neoplasms and one or more visceral malignancies (4).
SC most commonly presents as a gradually enlarging,
firm nodule or as an ulcerated papule or plaque in elderly
individuals (1), and can mimic basal cell carcinoma,
squamous cell carcinoma, pyogenic granuloma, metastatic
tumour or benign adnexal tumours (1, 2). Diagnosis of SC
is therefore often delayed (5, 6) and confirmed only by
histology (1, 3, 5). The disease is classified as either ocular
(OSC) or extraocular (EOSC) depending on the location
of the primary lesion (1–3, 6). Heterogeneity in incidence
patterns, associated cancer risks (3, 6, 7) and mortality (6,
7) have been reported between OSC and EOSC, but are
still controversial. Standard surgical resection with wide
margins and Mohs micrographic surgery are common
treatments for SC (3, 8, 9). However, to date, there are no
tumour-specific staging system or management guidelines
for EOSC (5). The aim of this study was to determine the
demographic, clinical and histopathological characteris-
tics, treatment strategy and prognosis of SC in a series of
patients and to compare these results with published data.
METHODS
All patients presenting to Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, a major
skin cancer referral centre in France, from 1995 to 2015, with
a confirmed histology of SC of the skin, were included in this
retrospective study. Sex, age, race, immune status (immunode-
pression in HIV and transplantation), family history, tumour loca-
tion, tumour size, stage and extent of disease, pathology report,
imaging techniques, time to diagnosis, lymph node involvement,
metastasis, radiation use, surgery type and extent, chemotherapy
and survival data were collected through patients charts. SC were
classified as OSC when occurring in orbital sites (eyelid, orbit,
and conjunctiva) or EOSC if elsewhere (lip, external ear, scalp or
neck, trunk and upper and lower limb). Diagnosis was confirmed
histologically in all cases (3).
RESULTS
Twenty-four patients with SC were identified between
1995 and 2015. Ten had MTS, 21 had EOSC (4 of whom
had 2 primary SC) and 3 had OSC (Table SI 1 ). Median
age at diagnosis was 68 years overall (range 44–94 years)
and 64.5 years in cases of MTS. There was a slight pre-
dominance of men (62.5%). Seventy-five percent of cases
occurred in Caucasians. Risk factors of SC were present
in 58% of cases and included MTS (41.6%, 10 cases)
and immunosuppression (16.6%, 4 cases, of which one
with MTS). No case of previous irradiation on the site
of SC was noted. Family history of SC was found in 10
patients, 9 of whom had MTS. Most frequently involved
skin sites were the nose (10 lesions, 35.7%) and the scalp/
neck (5 lesions, 17.8%). Time to diagnosis ranged from 1
to 5 years in 39.2% of cases and less than 1 year in the 4
cases of recurrent SC. SC presented mostly as a painless,
pink or yellow, round nodule, or as a diffuse thickening
or a pedunculated lesion (Fig. S1 1 ). Frequently associated
malignancies included colorectal carcinoma (33%) and
urogenital carcinoma (16.6%), all occurring in patients
with MTS.
Colonoscopy was performed in all cases of MTS.
Lymph node sampling was performed in 2 cases because
of aggressive clinical and histological features; pathology
results were negative in all cases. There was only one case
of lung metastasis that occurred in an immunocompromi-
sed patient with MTS.
Wide surgical excision was the major treatment in all
cases. Margins of 5–6 mm were used only for small lesions
(diameter < 6 mm), mostly located on the face, with no
aggressive clinical or histological pattern. Margins of 2
cm and more were used for recurrent lesions and those
with aggressive clinical/histological features. There was
no case of amputation or use of adjuvant radiotherapy
or of chemotherapy. In the patient with lung metastasis,
treatment included wide surgical excision of the primary
SC and pulmonary lobectomy. Median follow-up dura-
tion was 3 years (range 3 months to 11 years). Overall,
physical examination with or without regional lymph node
ultrasonography was performed every 6 months for the
first year then yearly. Lesions did not recur in 85.7% of
cases; all recurrences (16.6%) occurred less than 5 years
after initial diagnosis. There was no statistically signifi-
cant relationship between initial tumour size and time to
recurrence (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.25). During
the follow-up period, cause of death was attributable to
colon cancer in one case; none was attributable to the SC.
https://www.medicaljournals.se/acta/content/abstract/10.2340/00015555-2685
1
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license. www.medicaljournals.se/acta
Journal Compilation © 2017 Acta Dermato-Venereologica.
doi: 10.2340/00015555-2685
Acta Derm Venereol 2017; 97: 959–961