CLINICAL CASES   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2003 December;138(6):475-8

Copyright © 2003 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Malignant pilomatrixoma. Description of a case

Gatti M. ¹, Nolli G. ¹, Cespa M. ¹, Bassi E. ¹, Carminati M. ², Rosso R. ³

¹ Clinica Dermatologica IRCCS, Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia 2 Unità Operativa di Chirurgia Plastica Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia 3 Istituto di Anatomia Patologica Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia

Malignant pilomatrixomas are rare tumors of hair matrix origin. Most lesions are localised on the scalp, posterior neck or back. Most patients are middle-aged men. Treatment consists in radical surgical excision, because of frequent local recurrence and possible pulmonary metastasis. Malignant pilomatrixomas are locally invasive, highly recurrent and they are histologically characterised by cytological atypia and frequent mitoses. The case of a 67-year-old woman with an 8 cm tumoral mass on the back is reported. On examination the mass was erythematous-violaceous, indurated, hardly mobile, located on the left suprascapular region. Histological examination after surgical excision was compatible with pilomatrix carcinoma. Laboratory tests, chest X-ray were normal, ultrasound of neck and axillary lymphnodes was negative. The patient is now strictly followed-up at our Day Hospital.