Skin adnexal carcinoma of the head and neck: a retrospective study in a tertiary referral center

The objective of this study is to give more insight in the diagnosis, clinical course and therapy of skin adnexal carcinoma of the head and neck. Forty cases of skin adnexal carcinoma of the head and neck treated from 1977 to 2011 were identified by searching the hospitals cancer registration database. After pathology review by a pathologist specialized in skin cancer, 17 cases were excluded. A retrospective chart review of the remaining 23 patients was performed. Clinical course was recorded by endpoints including survival, loco-regional control and recurrence free survival. Prognostic factors considered for analysis were differentiation of the tumor and location of the tumor. Five-year overall survival (OS) was 78 % (95 % CI 61–100 %). Five-year recurrence free survival (RFS) was 58 % (95 % CI 40–84 %). Poor differentiation of the tumor significantly reduced OS (p = 0.002) and RFS (p = 0.01). Tumor location ‘face’ demonstrated a significantly better survival than other tumor locations (p < 0.001). Local recurrence occurred in five cases, regional metastasis was seen in seven patients, distant metastasis in three patients. Three cases with distant metastases died of disease. Based on the findings of this small group of patients in a tertiary referral center, we conclude that skin adnexal carcinoma is a very rare skin carcinoma that can behave locally aggressive but also has the potential for regional and distant metastasis. The recognition of skin adnexal carcinoma and subsequent wide excision in an early stage of the disease is of major importance for loco-regional control and survival.