Papillary Eccrine Adenoma: A Recent Review of Literature

Abstract

Background: Papillary eccrine adenoma (PEA) is a very rare benign cutaneous sweat gland tumor, it usually presents as an isolated well-circumscribed dermal nodule existent for a prolonged duration of time. Objectives: We report a case of PEA in a 74-year-old woman from Mexico who presented with a rare case of papillary eccrine adenoma. Materials and methods: We gathered our information by using PubMed and Scopus portal, in total there have been only 48 cases reported so far in English Literature. We present detailed review of findings of all cases reported so far including our case report. Results: Our results indicated that the median age of presentation was 45 years amongst males and females. The mean size of the tumor is approximately 16 mm amongst males and females with more than double the incidence was noted in females, along with a predominant occurrence noted in the Black population. The most common location for presentation was the lower extremities, followed by the upper extremities, abdomen and face respectively. Conclusion: In summary, PEA is a rare benign cutaneous sweat gland tumor representing intradermal proliferation of sweat gland ducts. It is slow growing in nature, with a greater incidence in women, and predominantly presents on the extremities. Despite its typical histological features, at times it can resemble other cutaneous neoplasms, thus it may present with diagnostic challenges. Moh’s technique has lately been reported to have increased success rates in the management of this tumor.