Microcystic adnexal carcinoma of the breast: a very rare breast skin tumor.

Abstract

Microcystic adnexal carcinoma is a rare, slowly progressing, malignant tumor of sweat gland origin. A case of microcystic adnexal carcinoma of the breast with a history of 20 years is presented. On initial examination, the ulcerative cutaneous mass was fixed to the underlying breast tissue and chest wall. Both the macroscopic appearance of the tumor and its location suggested a glandular breast carcinoma. However, an incisional biopsy revealed the nature of the tumor as microcystic adnexal carcinoma of the breast skin. Following the diagnosis, a wide excision of the tumor was carried out for the final treatment. To our knowledge this is the first case of microcystic adnexal carcinoma arising in the breast skin presented in the literature. This case demonstrates that microcystic adnexal carcinoma can occur on the breast skin and should be treated with wide excision due to its locally aggressive behavior.