Cutaneous adnexal tumors were first recognised in the later part of nineteenth century. They are relatively uncommon and are thought to have a genetic basis. Diagnosis is essentially based on histopathological examination because clinical features are not very distinctive. They may sometimes display more than one histological differentiation resembling other wide variety of tumors. The frequency of skin eccrine type adnexal tumors in the literature are variable
1-8. For example, in a work done in India, it was found that there was 18/40 (45%) eccrine differentiation skin adnexal tumor and in another study in India, 35/70 (50%) eccrine type skin adnexal tumors were found
1,2. In other studies, skin adnexal tumors with eccrine differantiation frequency was found as 20/39 (51.2%), 161/1016 (15.8%), 19/36 (52.7%), 33/52 (63.4%), 8/21(38.09 %) (4, 6-8, 10). In the study of literature, nodular hidradenomas were the most common eccrine tumors
2,4,6-8. In our study, 124 eccrine type skin adnexal tumors were found in 320,000 pathology samples (Table
3). Amongst the eccrine types, nodular hidradenoma was the most common neoplasm similar to literature. While 34 out of 124 (27.4%) cases were diagnosed as nodular hidradenoma, eccrine syringofibroadenoma was rare. (Fig.
1B,1C). In some studies, sebaceous type skin adnexal tumors, eccrine hydrocystomas and eccrine spiradenomas were frequent
1,11,12.
The mean age of eccrine type skin adnexal tumors in the literature was 62, 29, 34.5, 33 and 35.5 4-6,8,10. In our study, patients’ mean age was 50.15 years (age range: 6–92 years) and this is this is higher than some studies. In the literature, female: male ratios for these tumors were variable 1,2,4-6,8-10,12. Differently in our study there was a male predominance with the male: female ratio 71:53 (Table 2). The most common localizations in the studies were head, neck, face and body 1-12. In our study extremity, neck, back and head areas were more frequent, respectively (Table 5). In the literature, the sizes of eccrine type skin adnexal tumors are also variable. In a study it has been reported between 1.1 cm and 2 cm. In a different study 5 cm sizes were reported but most of the lesions are smaller than 3 cm 4,10. In our study the size of eccrine type skin adnexal tumors were between 0,1 cm and 12 cm and especially in porocarcinoma the sizes was much larger (2.5 and 12 cm). In literature, the incidence of eccrine type malignant skin adnexal tumors ranged from 4.2% to 25% 1,2,4,6-9,11-13. In our study, it was 7.25% (Fig. 1D) (Table 4). In some studies, sebaceous type skin adnexal tumors, eccrine hydrocystomas and eccrine spiradenomas were frequent 1,11,12.
The mean age of eccrine type skin adnexal tumors in the literature was 62, 29, 34.5, 33 and 35.5 4-6,8,10. In our study, patients’ mean age was 50.15 years (age range: 6–92 years) and this is this is higher than some studies. In the literature, female: male ratios for these tumors were variable 1,2,4-6,8-10,12. Differently in our study there was a male predominance with the male: female ratio 71:53. The most common localizations in the studies were head, neck, face and body 1-12. In our study extremity, neck, back and head areas were more frequent, respectively. In the literature, the sizes of eccrine type skin adnexal tumors are also variable. In a study it has been reported between 1.1 cm and 2 cm. In a different study 5 cm sizes were reported but most of the lesions are smaller than 3 cm 4,10. In our study the size of eccrine type skin adnexal tumors were between 0,1 cm and 12 cm and especially in porocarcinoma the sizes was much larger (2.5 and 12 cm). In literature, the incidence of eccrine type malignant skin adnexal tumors ranged from 4.2% to 25% 1,2,4,6-9,11-13. In our study, it was 7.25.
As a result, adnexal skin tumors have distinct histological patterns which differentiates them from other cutaneous tumors. The commonest variants are those of eccrine sweat gland origin. In our study eccrine tumors were most common in males. The frequent localizations were face and trunk. Malignant eccrine tumors were very rare. In our study, malignant tumors’ diameters are larger than the tumor diameters in the literature.