title: Aggressive sebaceous carcinoma of the head.
abstract: Cutaneous sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a rare malignancy deriving from the adnexal epithelium of the sebaceous glands. Periorbital SC is approximately three times more common than extraorbital cutaneous SC. Extraocular SC is reported to be less aggressive than orbital sebaceous carcinoma and rarely metastasizes. We report a case of sebaceous carcinoma of the scalp, characterised by highly aggressive behaviour and huge invasion of the intracranial space. The patient was a 79-year-old woman who developed an infiltrating sebaceous carcinoma followed by lymph-node metastases shortly after excision of the primary lesion, resulting in death. In this case, aggressive biological behaviour was observed in a carcinoma arising in an extraorbital area, although it has traditionally been considered a less aggressive neoplasm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiopathology, VIth General Surgery Division, Turin University, Turin.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scuderi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giaccone
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'Errico
authors.forename: Marcela Alejandra
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Maorenzic
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fontanellaa
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Castellano
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zanon
authors.forename: Alessandro Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gaetini
mesh_terms: D018266:Adenocarcinoma, Sebaceous / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D012535:Scalp / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012626:Sebaceous Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery