Adnexal Skin Tumors; A Histopathological Review of 64 Cases

Abstract

Background: Most adnexal tumors are benign and do not carry a risk of recurrence, however, according to the histological origin, these tumors show histological overlapping, therefore, are usually misdiagnosed clinically and often further workup for conformation is required. Objective: To highlight the spectrum of histopathological features of adnexal skin tumors and to categorize these tumors histologically according to World Health Organization (WHO) classification. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study, carried out in Al- Najaf center of histopathology, Najaf, Iraq. It included sixty-four registered cases of adnexal skin tumors diagnosed between January 2020 and August 2024 at our center. Histopathological examination was performed using tissue sections that fixed with formalin and embedded by paraffin , the hematoxylin and eosin used in staining of these sections. Clinical data and provisional diagnoses were reported from the archive of pathology unit. Histopathological reexamination of these tumors concerning on cell differentiation was carried out for all cases. Results: A total of 64 biopsies of skin tumors were diagnosed as adnexal tumors. The studied group composed of 25 males and 39 females (Male: Female ratio was 1:1.56). Among cases, (23.4%) at the 6th age group. Head and neck are the most affected sites (64%), followed by extremities (18.8%) and then trunk (17.2%). Benign and malignant tumors contributed for (71.9%) and (28.1%), respectively. Sweat gland differentiation contributed for (57.8%), hair follicle differentiation (39.1%) and sebaceous differentiation accounted for (3.1%). Hidradenoma was most common benign adnexal tumor followed by pilomatrixoma. Conclusion: we find through the histopathological review of adnexal skin tumors emphasized that these tumors are rare and have a wide spectrum of morphology and workup including IHC study is essential for confirmation of the diagnosis