Nevus Sebaceus Associated with Secondary Tumors

Noh, Yoonoo; Lee, Jeung Hoon; Park, Jang Kyu; Kim, You Chan; Park, Hyang Joon; Cinn, Yong Woo; Yoon, Tae Young

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Frequent association of nevus sebaceus with other skin appendage tumors and with apocrine glands suggests that the nevus sebaceus may be derived from the primary epithelial germ. Syringocystadenoma papilliferum was found most frequently in the nevus sebaceus. A number of cases have been reported, but extensive studies on the secondary tumors of nevus sebaceus are rare in Korea. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristic clinical features in Korean patients with the secondary tumors of nevus sebaceus. MATERIALS & METHODS: Enrolled were total 136 patients confirmed as nevus sebaceus at the Chungnam National University Hospital, the Dankook University Hospital, and the Chungbuk National University Hospital from March 1993 to February 2003 for this study. And we reviewed the Korean Journal of Dermatology and the Annals of Dermatology for nevus sebaceus with secondary tumors. RESULT: The results were as follows; Total 45 cases were included from 23 males and 22 females. The male/female ratio was similar. Trichoblastoma(86% in female) and basal cell carcinoma(67% in female) were more frequent in female than in male. Mean age was 38.7 years(range 1.5 years to 71 years). All malignant tumors except basal cell carcinoma developed beyond 40 years of age. In the malignant tumors, 19(95%) of 20 cases developed in the scalp. However, in the benign tumors, 44(86.3%) of 51 cases developed in the scalp and 7(13.7%) of 51 cases in the face. Tumors of one type developed in 29 cases and tumors of more than two types developed in 16 cases. The total seventy eight tumors were composed of 23 malignant tumors and 55 benign tumors. Basal cell carcinoma and syringocystadenoma papilliferum were the most common tumor in each group respectively. Although trichoblastoma was not counted as the most common tumor, we suggest that it might be the most frequent tumor in secondary tumors associated with nevus sebaceus because differential diagnosis between trichoblastoma and basal cell carcinoma was so difficult that many cases of trichoblastoma were misdiagnosed as basal cell carcinoma.