Primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin: a case of metastasis after 10 years of disease-free interval

Primary Mucinous Carcinoma of Skin: A Rare Cutaneous Neoplasm. Clinicopathologic Features, Differential Diagnoses, and Review of Literature

ABSTRACT

Primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin (PMCS) is a rare malignant neoplasm of sweat gland origin, with an incidence of 0.07 per million. Histologically, it may be difficult to differentiate it from metastatic mucinous carcinomas of the skin. A case of PMCS is reported here in a 59-year-old woman who presented with a lesion on the right lower eyelid. Histological examination revealed features of mucinous adenocarcinoma. The main differential diagnosis was metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma; however, the lack of colorectal and lung markers and the presence of focal in situ components were consistent with the diagnosis of PMCS. PMCS and breast mucinous carcinoma share immunohistochemical markers, such as GCDFP-15 and mammaglobin; however, focal in situ component with the presence of myoepithelial cells in the tumor ruled out metastatic mucinous carcinoma of breast origin. The subsequent mammograms did not reveal any breast lesions. Colonoscopy did not show any evidence of colonic malignancy, and imaging studies (CT scan) did not show any evidence of neoplasm in the body. These findings were in keeping with a diagnosis of PMCS. The present case emphasizes the importance of clinicopathological correlation, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry in the accurate diagnosis of PMCS and summarizes the literature on these rare cutaneous neoplasms.

Primary Cutaneous Mucinous Carcinoma: A Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma (PCMC) is an exceedingly rare, low-grade tumor that histologically resembles mucinous carcinoma from other primary sites, such as the breast, gastrointestinal tract, and lungs.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this article was to review the current literature on PCMC as it relates to epidemiology, clinical presentation, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, treatment, and prognosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An extensive literature review was conducted using PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE to identify articles related to PCMC.

RESULTS

Several hundred cases have been reported in the medical literature, and surgical resection, whenever feasible, is the standard of care.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma is one of exclusion, requiring a metastatic work-up to rule out distant primary. Mohs micrographic surgery is a tissue sparing technique that allows complete margin control of these rare neoplasia.

A Case of Eccrine Mucinous Carcinoma Involving Scalp

The report presents a case of a 67-year-old female with a long-standing lump on the scalp. After its excision the histopathology revealed consistency with eccrine mucinous carcinoma. These neoplasms are quite rare with only around 100 cases reported since 1951. The report concludes the importance of encouraging follow-up of cutaneous lesions among patients as well as ongoing research to better identify and manage the tumor.

Primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin arising from the upper eyelid: A case report and literature review

Primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin (PMCS) is a rare malignant neoplasm of the sweat glands that has an incidence of 1 per 150,000 population. Because of the lack of typical characteristics, it is often misdiagnosed as an epidermoid cyst, pilomatrixoma, or chalazion before resection, with subsequent enucleation performed unintentionally. We present a case of a 51-year-old patient with PMCS in the upper eyelid that was successfully treated at our hospital. Additionally, we reviewed the literature and discussed the diagnosis, primary and adjuvant therapy, and follow-up procedure.

Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma of the scrotum: A rare tumor at a rare site - A case report and review of literature

Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma (PCMC) is a rare malignant adnexal tumor of eccrine origin with a higher incidence in the head and neck region of the body while scrotal skin involvement is rare. We report a case of a 72-year-old man with ulceration of painless scrotal lesions of 10 years' duration. Histology of the wedge biopsies of the lesions was mucinous carcinoma. Clinical workup excluded noncutaneous primary sites of mucinous carcinoma and distant metastasis. He had wide excision of the scrotal skin lesions with histological findings of nests of malignant cells separated from pool of mucin by fibrocollagenous septae. Periodic acid–Schiff stain was positive; however, immunohistochemical stains for estrogen and progesterone receptors were negative. No local recurrence was observed after 12 months of follow-up. Scrotal PCMC is a rare tumor; this may probably be the first reported case of this tumor in the scrotum. Prognosis was good following surgical excision.

Bilateral Primary Mucinous Carcinoma of the Eyelid

The aim of this study is to report a case of bilateral primary mucinous carcinoma of the eyelids. This is a case report and literature review. A 71-year-old female presented with primary mucinous carcinoma of the left upper eyelid, which was excised with Mohs surgery. One year later, she developed primary mucinous carcinoma of the right upper eyelid, which was also treated Mohs surgery. Extensive workup was negative for evidence of an unknown primary carcinoma or metastasis. Primary mucinous carcinoma of the eyelids may occur as multifocal tumors, and bilateral disease is not necessarily indicative of metastatic disease.

[Mucinous primitive skin carcinoma: report of two cases and review of the literature]

Le carcinome mucineux primitif cutané est une tumeur annexielle rare, développée à partir des glandes sudoripares. Il se localise en générale à l'extrémité céphalique, surtout la région périorbitaire. Nous rapportons deux observations d'un carcinome mucineux primitif de la face et de la région axillaire, chez deux patients âgés de 60 ans. L’étude histologique montrait une prolifération tumorale dermohypodermique, faite de cellules organisées en cordons, en amas et en massif cribriformes, au sein d'une substance mucoïde. En immunohistochimie les cellules tumorales exprimaient la cytokératine 7, l'EMA et les récepteurs hormonaux. L'actine musculaire lisse a bien marqué les cellules myoépithéliales au niveau de la composante in situ dans un seul cas. Le carcinome mucineux primitif cutané est difficile à différencier d'une métastase mammaire ou digestive. La mise en évidence de carcinome in situ ou de cellules myoépithéliale est en faveur de l'origine cutanée primitive. C'est une tumeur à croissance lente, avec des métastases exceptionnelles. Le traitement est chirurgical et le taux de récidive est très élevé. Et à travers ces deux observations, les auteurs mettent en relief les principaux aspects cliniques, histologiques, thérapeutiques de cette entité avec une revue de la littérature.

Primary mucinous carcinoma of the periocular region: successful management with local resections over 30 years

Primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin is a rare malignant neoplasm, often with periocular involvement, believed to originate from eccrine sweat glands. It is slow growing and locally destructive, at times forming tumour satellites. We present a case with six local recurrences treated with surgical resections over a period of 30 years. We have not been able to find longer follow-up in the literature, and believe this case may offer insight into the management of these uniquely indolent malignancies.