A skin tumor from an orthopedic oncology perspective: Pilomatrixoma in extremities (11 years experience with 108...

Pilomatrixoma, also known as calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe, is a benign skin neoplasm originating from hair follicle matrix cells. Pilomatrixoma is a common skin neoplasm that is often misdiagnosed as another type of skin condition. The aim of our study is to review 11 years' worth of experience in examining clinical and histopathological presentations, imaging findings, management approaches, and treatment outcomes of pilomatrixoma at a tertiary hospital. A review of the pathology database revealed that 108 extremity pilomatrixomas were excised between 2007 and 2018. Hospital charts, and pathology and orthopedic clinic records, were reviewed for patient data such as age, gender, clinical and histopathological presentations, preoperative diagnosis and imaging results, management approach, recurrence, and treatment outcomes. The main presenting symptom was a hard, subcutaneous, slowly growing mass. The preoperative diagnosis was accurate and consistent with the pathological diagnosis of pilomatrixoma in only 35 cases (32%). The optimal diagnostic tool for pilomatrixoma seems to be ultrasound imaging of superficial tissue, and the optimal first-line treatment might be surgical excision with clear margins. However, pilomatrixoma is a benign tumor, with atypical forms, and there no tumor-specific diagnostic tool is available other than careful histopathological examination.