Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma: Report of two cases treated with Mohs' micrographic surgery

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.

Rare Signet Ring Cell Adenocarcinoma of the Colon Metastasis to the Orbit

Metastases arising from primary tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are not commonly encountered in the orbit. Colorectal carcinomas are subcategorized based on morphological and genetic characteristics with these distinctions bearing therapeutic and prognostic significance. The behavior of these subcategories, including their propensity for orbital metastasis, differs, and clinicians treating these tumors must be aware of their metastatic profiles. This report describes a 51-year-old female with right upper lid swelling and ptosis ultimately found, what we believe to be, the first reported case of signet ring cell colon carcinoma metastasizing to the levator muscle and superior orbit. This case serves as a reminder to all clinicians to consider orbital metastasis even in malignancies not typically found in this location.

Expression of hormone receptors, adipophilin, and GCDFP-15 in mucinous carcinoma of the skin

BACKGROUND

Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma (PCMC) is a rare epithelial tumor with unclear histogenesis.

METHODS

We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and androgen receptor (AR) in six cases of PCMC. The immunoreactivity of adipophilin and gross cystic disease fluid protein (GCDFP)-15 was investigated to determine the origin of the tumor.

RESULTS

The study included five males and one female aged 50 to 69 years who presented with a cutaneous mass in the face. Immunoreactivity for ER, PR, and AR was observed in all cases, and all cases were negative for adipophilin but positive for GCDFP-15.

CONCLUSIONS

This report is the first to show AR expression in PCMC. All of followed cases manifested indolent clinical course, and the prognostic significance of hormone receptors in PCMC remains unclear. The negative immunoreactivity of PCMC for adipophilin and positivity for GCDFP-15 suggests a more likely relationship to apocrine than to sebaceous glands.

Mucinous eccrine carcinoma: a rare case of recurrence with lacrimal gland extension

Mucinous eccrine carcinoma (MEC) is a rare skin cancer of sweat gland origin with a high rate of recurrence. The most common sites are head and neck, with 40% of cancers found on the eyelid. The clinical appearance and differential diagnosis of MEC are highly varied, but histologically it is similar to metastatic carcinomas, specifically breast and colon. A diagnosis of primary MEC always warrants a full systemic workup to ensure that no other malignancy is present. This cancer is known for frequent recurrences, but rarely metastasizes to distant organs. MEC is resistant to both chemotherapy and radiation; surgical excision remains the treatment of choice in most cases. The authors report a unique case of extension of MEC to the lacrimal gland with a brief review of histologic characteristics of this tumor.

Eyebrow loss: clinical review

Loss of eyebrow hair may come to the attention of the dermatologist as a presenting complaint or as an unexpected finding on routine physical examination. Because eyebrows serve important cosmetic and social roles, their loss can be quite distressing to patients. While eyebrow loss may be an isolated finding of no medical consequence, it may also be an initial manifestation of a systemic condition. Loss of eyebrows has numerous causes including primary dermatoses, endocrinopathies, autoimmune conditions, infections, neoplasms, trauma, exogenous agents, and genetic diseases. We present a systemic review of eyebrow loss, including an algorithm that can be used to direct the work-up of patients presenting with this condition.