Sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelids:a clinicopathological study of 20 cases

Objective To study the clinicopathologic features,immunohistochemical staning and differential diagnosis in sebaceous carcinoma(SC) of the eyelids.Methods The clinical manifestations,histopathological features,immunohistochemisty,treatment and prognosis were analyzed in 20 cases of SC with review of the literature.Results Tumor cells infiltrated in a lobular pattern.They consisted of atypical sebaceous germinative cells(seboblasts) with a high nucleus/cytoplasm ratio at the periphery,and mature sebocytes exhibiting bubbly clear cytoplasm as lipid accumulates in the center.The expression of epithelial membrane antigen(EMA),CK8/18,PCK,and AR was detected in all carcinomas.Conclusion The histopathologic diagnosis of sebaceous carcinoma can be challenging and it is often misdiagnosed as other neoplasms,particularly squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma.However,based on the typical histopathologic features of this entity and the histochemical and immunohistochemical reactions,the diagnosis can generally be established.