[Primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin. A case report]

Primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin is a rare sweat-gland neoplasm with a high recurrence rate. We report a new case of a primary recurrent mucinous carcinoma of the face in a 59-year-old man. Histopathologic examination of the neoplasm showed epithelial islands floating in mucoid material compartmentalized by fibrous septa. Cytokeratin 7, protein S100, estrogen and progesterone receptors were detected at immunohistochemical study, while cytokeratin 20 and actin were undetectable. Histologically, mucinous carcinoma of the skin can be mistaken for a metastasis from extracutaneous sites, particularly the breast or the gastrointestinal tract. Mucinous carcinoma of the skin has a relatively good prognosis with rare distant metastases, but high recurrence rate.