Sebaceous gland cancer: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

Cancer of the sebaceous glands is extremely rare, mainly on the scalp and face. Clinically, it is a small, ulcerating, locally destructive, often metastasizing tumor. It is formed on the basis of developmental defects (naevus sebaceus), and more often from analogs of the sebaceous glands in the submucous tissue of the lower eyelids - the meibomian glands.

[ 1 ]

Pathomorphology of sebaceous gland cancer

The tumor is located in the deep parts of the dermis, spreads to the hypodermis, and is not connected to the epidermis. It is built from lobules of various sizes and shapes, consisting of small cells located on the periphery of the lobules, and larger ones in their central parts. All cells with vacuolization phenomena contain, although scanty, lipid material. Lipids are present in undifferentiated cells and in the pseudocyst area. Sometimes incomplete keratinization can be observed, as well as the absence of lobular structure.

This tumor is differentiated from epithelioma of the sebaceous glands by the presence of ducts in the latter and the absence of cell polymorphism. This tumor differs from basalioma with sebaceous differentiation by a significantly smaller number of basaloid cells. In sebaceous gland cancer accompanied by decay with the formation of cysts, it is necessary to assume acantholytic spinalioma or sweat gland cancer with strong vacuolization of anaplastic cellular elements.