Publication:

Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma of axilla: a case report with review of literature

Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma is a low grade tumour of the sweat gland rarely occurring in middle aged men, more commonly in the sixth decade. When seen in a younger age group, the tumour tends to be more aggressive with potential for metastasis. Clinical presentation is usually a hard nodular well defined painless lesion confined to skin and subcutaneous tissue, commonly seen in head and neck region. Histopathological examination of the specimen shows cells with myxoid and mucinous material, confirmed by immunohistochemistry showing positive for estrogens and progesterone receptor and cytokeratin 7, is diagnostic. Surgery is the treatment of choice, wide local excision with margin of 1 cm as this tumor is resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Its tendency for late recurrences and rare metastasis, adds to the good prognosis. With rare chances of distant metastasis, prognosis remains good but local recurrences are not uncommon after excision.