Metastatic eccrine porocarcinoma: a 5.6-year follow-up study of a patient treated with a combined therapeutic protocol

Abstract

Background: Metastatic eccrine porocarcinoma (EP) is an uncommon, malignant, and potentially lethal neoplasm that arises from the eccrine sweat glands.

Objective: To present the 5.6-year follow-up study of a male patient with metastatic EP, highlighting the widespread cutaneous involvement and the response to the treatment carried out.

Methods: We describe the evolution of the tumor and the combined therapy carried out and review the treatments employed in previously reported cases, comparing them with ours.

Results: The patient developed multiple cutaneous and regional lymph node metastases 15 months after surgical excision of the primary tumor. He was treated with prophylactic lymphadenectomy, radiotherapy, and oral isotretinoin, subsequently substituted by tegafur. We have not found evidence of distant metastases after a 5.6-year follow-up.

Conclusions: The optimum treatment for metastatic EP is not standardized, and the results obtained to date were generally poor. In this context, we consider it of interest to highlight the response of our patient to the therapeutic regime employed, which may be advantageous in future cases of this rare tumor.