Lymphangiectatic Variant of Eccrine Spiradenoma - A Diagnostic Challenge

Conventional eccrine spiradenoma is a benign, slow growing and painful tumor of the skin. While the tumor does not usually present a diagnostic dilemma, a rare variant with marked stromal lymphedema can be a challenge to interpret. We present a case of lymphangiectatic variant of eccrine spiradenoma in an 82-year-old white male who presented with a persistent left flank lesion for several months. The patient was initially asymptomatic and subsequently developed a suspected abscess that was excised to reveal a 6.5 cm subcutaneous mass. Microscopic examination reveals strands and cords of dark, epithelial, round to oval cells with inconspicuous nucleoli streaming between prominently dilated and congested vascular spaces. Within the cystic component there are small ductular structures. Additionally, prominent stromal lymphedema is present. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one reported case of this entity in the English literature. This case represents a diagnostic challenge and the purpose of reporting it is to alert surgical pathologists, dermatopathologists and dermatologists of the existence of this unusual variant of eccrine spiradenoma.