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Malignant eccrine poroma in an elderly African-American woman
1Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Background:
Eccrine porocarcinoma is a rare, slow-growing malignant tumor arising from the eccrine sweat gland.
Objective:
We present a case of eccrine porocarcinoma of the ear in an elderly African-American woman. Cases of eccrine porocarcinoma have been reported in the literature occurring in facial, extremity, scalp, and genital sites and primarily in Caucasian patients. Rarely are cases described in African-American patients or on the ear.
Methods:
We describe the history of the lesion, discuss the current cancer statistics for skin cancer in African Americans, and histology and treatment choices are compared with previously reported cases.
Results:
We present a case of malignant eccrine poroma of the ear in a 71 year old African-American woman. The tumor was completely excised by Mohs surgery. Transposition flap repair of the Mohs surgical defect was performed.
Conclusions:
While African Americans are at low risk of developing skin cancers, it is important to remember that skin cancers can affect patients of any ethnicity and skin tone. Treatment regimens for skin cancers in African-American patients must be chosen appropriately by site of tumor, size of tumor and extent of disease as would be expected for any skin cancer.