Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025

Testing Targeted Therapies in Cancer using Structural DNA Alteration Analysis and Patient-Derived Xenografts
Published on: July 25, 2020
Update on Molecular Genetic Alterations of Cutaneous Adnexal Neoplasms
1Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, 1910 Taubman Center, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5314, USA.
Abstract:
Cutaneous adnexal tumors recapitulate follicular, sweat gland, and/or sebaceous epithelia, and range from benign tumors to aggressive carcinomas. Adnexal tumors can be hallmarks for inherited tumor syndromes. Oncogenic drivers of adnexal neoplasms modulate intracellular pathways including mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphoinositide-3-kinase, Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog, nuclear factor κB, and Hippo intracellular signaling pathways, representing potential therapeutic targets. Malignant progression can be associated with tumor suppressor loss, especially TP53. Molecular alterations drive expression of specific diagnostic markers, such as CDX2 and LEF1 in pilomatricomas/pilomatrical carcinomas, and NUT in poromas/porocarcinomas. In these ways, improved understanding of molecular alterations promises to advance diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic possibilities for adnexal tumors.
Related Concept Videos
Skin Cancer
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically develops in...
Mutations
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Mutations
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...

