Cancer and Skin Lesions

Cutaneous adnexal neoplasms are tumors that arise from the skin's accessory structures — its hair follicles, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands — and range from benign growths like trichoepithelioma and pilomatricoma to malignant conditions such as extramammary Paget's disease, which spreads along the skin surface and can signal underlying internal cancers. Accurate diagnosis depends heavily on immunohistochemistry, which uses protein markers to distinguish these tumors from one another and from more common skin cancers, while surgical approaches like Mohs micrographic surgery aim to remove them completely while sparing healthy tissue. Researchers are actively working to understand how genetic mutations — including those in the cylindromatosis gene — drive tumor development and hereditary syndromes involving multiple adnexal neoplasms. A central open question is how molecular markers can better predict which lesions will behave aggressively, guiding treatment decisions for cancers that remain difficult to manage due to their rarity and histological complexity.

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Keywords

Extramammary Paget's DiseaseAdnexal NeoplasmsPaget's DiseaseCylindromatosis GeneMohs Micrographic SurgeryImmunohistochemistry