Syringoma: A clinicopathological study of 244 cases.
BACKGROUND
Syringomas are benign tumours of the sweat glands, the most familiar clinical presentation of which is the presence of multiple lesions on the eyelids. The aim of our study was to determine the clinical and histological characteristics of a large series of patients and to examine anatomoclinical correlations.


METHODS
This was a retrospective study conducted in all of the cases of syringoma analysed at the cutaneous histopathology laboratory in Strasbourg between 1970 and 2008. The clinical elements, patient history and diagnostic data were collated. All slides were re-read in order to determine the microscopic characteristics of the lesions.


RESULTS
Two hundred and forty-four lesions were included. The sex ratio was 0.27 and the mean age was 42 years (8 to 85 years). Multiple syringomas were noted in 76% of cases, of which 29.2% were eruptive, and one case occurred in a setting of metastatic melanoma. The sites of predilection were the face (56.7%, of which 36.3% on the eyelids), the chest (18.1%) and the neck (17.5%) for the multiple forms. The lesions were in the form of papules (67%), either brown (34.2%) or flesh-coloured (19.8%). Pruritus was reported in 14 cases, including 4 at vulvar sites (out of a total of 8). A diagnosis of syringoma was made by the clinician in only 30.2% of the multiple forms, with mastocytosis being proposed in 7.1% of cases. The clear-cell forms (18 cases) presented no special clinical features.


CONCLUSIONS
Syringomas are frequently multiple and are seen mainly in women. They are found predominantly on the face and trunk, and lesions are generally brown and pruritic, a little-known feature that accounts for the degree of diagnostic confusion with mastocytosis. The vulvar forms, which are often pruritic, are poorly known. The eruptive forms may include a hormonal component.
Clinique dermatologique, faculté de médecine, université de Strasbourg, hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, 1, place de l'Hôpital, 67091 Strasbourg, France.
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Ciarloni
Service d'anatomie et de cytologie pathologiques, hôpital Jean-Bernard, 2, rue de la Milétrie, 86021 Poitiers cedex, France. Electronic address: eric.frouin@chu-poitiers.fr.
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Frouin
Service de chirurgie plastique, faculté de médecine, université de Strasbourg, hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, 1, place de l'hôpital, 67091 Strasbourg, France.
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Bodin
Clinique dermatologique, faculté de médecine, université de Strasbourg, hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, 1, place de l'Hôpital, 67091 Strasbourg, France.
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Cribier
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011537:Pruritus / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013544:Sweat Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018252:Syringoma / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
Adnexal tumour; Cellules claires; Clear cells; Prurit vulvaire; Syringoma; Syringome; Tumeur annexielle; Vulvar pruritus