title: Syringotropic melanoma:  a variant of melanoma with prominent involvement of eccrine apparatus and risk of deep dermal invasion.
abstract: We report 7 cases which can be regarded as a syringotropic melanoma-a unique presentation of melanoma defined as melanoma spreading within the eccrine apparatus into the reticular dermis and/or subcutaneous tissue deeper than any (if present) associated invasive melanoma. Six patients were females, and 1 was a male. Their ages ranged from 32 to 85 years old (average 63). The lesions showed a wide site distribution, occurring on the extremities (4), trunk (2), and head and neck (1). Five melanomas were superficial spreading type; 1 was acral lentiginous type; 1 was unclassified. Four lesions (57%) invaded from within eccrine apparatus at a depth and anatomical level greater than that of an adjacent conventional invasive melanoma arising from the surface epidermis. In 1 lesion, which presented clinically as a pigmented macule, deep dermal syringocentric invasive tumor was the only site of invasion and tumorigenic growth. Thus, this variant of melanoma carries a significant risk of syringocentric deep dermal invasion, which may be unsuspected clinically but must be detected on histological examination to provide the most accurate prognosis and staging information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, 133 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zembowicz
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kafanas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004439:Eccrine Glands / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*