Endocrine Mucin-Producing Sweat Gland Carcinoma: An Uncommon Presentation

ABSTRACT

Endocrine mucin-producing sweat gland carcinoma (EMPSGC) is a rare, often underrecognized, low-grade sweat gland carcinoma of the skin of the eyelid. To date, only 20 cases of this carcinoma have been reported, most frequently in Caucasian females with an average age of 70 years. Although the diagnosis is primarily made with immunohistochemical stain, compared to endocrine ductal carcinoma in situ, clinical detection serves as a potentially curative treatment. Further, its benign appearance clinically makes this tumor often misdiagnosed and undertreated. This disease commonly presents in Caucasian women of advanced age, aiding in the diagnosis of this tumor, which presents an even more critical diagnosis in a patient with a rare presentation. In the available literature, we could find no case of EMPSGC in younger African American women. The following case is the first case presented in the literature. Here, we present a case of an atypical presentation of the tumor in a young African American female, as well as a review of literature on the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of EMPSGC.

Keywords:

• Sweat gland carcinoma
• mucin producing carcinoma
• neuron specific enolase
• eyelid involving sweat gland carcinoma
• synaptophysin

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.