Four years retrospective study of skin adnexal tumors: Histomorphology and special stain study

Background: Skin adnexal tumors (SATs) are uncommon and may cause diagnostic problems. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of SATs with respect to their clinicopathological features over a period of 4 years. Materials and Methods: It was a retrospective, descriptive study. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological analysis and with special stains as Alcian blue/periodic acid–Schiff stain for confirmation. Results: A total number of cases that were diagnosed as SATs were 18; benign tumors were 17 (94.4%) and one malignant tumor (5.6%). Most tumors were of sweat gland origin (61.1%) followed by hair follicle origin (33.3%) then by sebaceous gland origin (5.6%). The age ranged from 3 to 51 years and male: female ratio was 1.57:1. The head-and-neck region was the most common location (44.4%). Hidradenoma (35.3%) was the most common benign tumor followed by pilomatrixoma (23.5%) and spiradenoma (17.6%) while sebaceous carcinoma was the only malignant tumor detected. Conclusion: The overall incidence of SATs was found to be very low. Benign SATs were more as compared with the malignant tumors. A careful histopathological assessment is essential for accurate diagnosis.

Posttraumatic giant proliferating trichilemmal cysts on the parietal region of the scalp.

Proliferating trichilemmal (pilar) cysts, also known as pilar tumors, are most commonly found on the scalp of elderly women. Proliferating trichilemmal cysts are rare, slowly growing, lobular masses inherited autosomal dominantly and localized on scalps, and believed to arise due to a complication of a trauma and inflammation, and 5-10% of people are reported to be effected. Herein, we present the case of a 70-year-old woman with a 23-year history of multiple enlarging scalp masses. Clinically, squamous cell carcinoma was considered in the differential diagnosis, and the lesion was totally excised. Our case emphasizes the necessity for detailed clinical and pathological correlation for differential diagnosis.

Proliferating Trichilemmal Tumor: Report of four cases

Proliferating trichilemmal tumor is relatively rare, and is generally considered to be a benign tumor that can be histologically mistaken for well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The proliferating trichilemmal tumor is thought to be a tumor with differentiation toward the hair structure because the characteristic trichilemmal keratinization in this tumor is analogous to that of the outer root sheath of anagen hair or the trichilemmal sac surrounding catagen hair. We report four cases of proliferating trichilemmal tumor removed by surgical excision.