Tumourlike Lesions of Skin - A Clinicopathological Analysis of 175 Cases.

ABSTRACT

As the skin is the largest and complex organ, a wide variety of tumourlike lesions are encountered in the clinical practice. The ability to properly diagnose & treat these common lesions & to distinguish them from malignant tumours is the vital skills for all clinicians. Objective: To analyse retrospectively tumourlike lesions of skin with respect to age, sex, clinical features and histopathological features in a tertiary referral centre in Maharashtra, India. Methods: The present study consisted of analysis of tumourlike lesions of skin received in the histopathology section of department of pathology over a period of 5 years that is from August 2005 to July 2010 .The material comprised of biopsies and excision specimens. The clinical and histopathological details were noted. The findings were compared with those reported by other authors. Results: One hundred and seventy five (175) cases of tumourlike lesions of skin were seen .These lesions presented as skin swellings or tumours. Maximum cases (34.8%) of tumourlike lesions occurred in fourth & fifth decades with male preponderance (1.351). The maximum number of cases was encountered in the head & neck region (63.4%). Their size ranged from 0.4 to 9 cms. Epidermal cyst was the commonest tumourlike lesion (59.4%) followed by dermoid cyst (13.1%).Other lesions were trichilemmal cyst, fibroepithelial polyp, keloid, hypertrophic scar and epidermal nevus. Conclusion: Tumourlike lesions are clinically diagnosed by their presentation. However, the histopathological examination confirms the clinical diagnosis. The pathologic evaluation of all tumourlike lesions is mandatory to avoid patient’s and family’s anxiety.