Sebaceous carcinoma of the vulva treated with sentinel lymph node biopsy: a case report and literature review.

Abstract

Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a rare and aggressive cutaneous malignancy. It often occurs on the eyelid, where it is called periocular SC, while extraocular SC mainly occurs on the head and heck. Extraocular vulvar SC is extremely rare; only nine cases have been described in the literature, and the optimal treatment strategy is unknown. We herein report a case of vulvar SC that was successfully treated with local excision in combination with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB). A 66-year-old female presented with vulvar discomfort. An 8mm ulcerated mass was palpable in her left labia minora. Skin biopsy suggested SC. Imaging showed no swelling of the pelvic and inguinal lymph nodes and no metastasis. Sentinel lymph node scintigraphy using technetium-99m showed three sentinel lymph nodes. The patient underwent local excision with SNB; intraoperative frozen-section examination revealed no nodal metastasis, and no further inguinal lymphadenectomy was performed. The final diagnosis was SC of the vulva, FIGO stage IB (pT1bN0M0). At the 14-month follow-up, she remained asymptomatic and had no signs of recurrence. The scientific rationale for SNB in extraocular SC has not yet been established, although SNB can be considered for periocular SC. However, considering the insufficient data on the management of vulvar SC and the aggressive nature of both periocular and extraocular SCs, SNB can be a reasonable and useful method for avoiding inadequate treatment and reducing the complications caused by unnecessary inguinal lymphadenectomy.