Metastasizing Sweat-Gland Carcinoma

Abstract
Despite the fact that carcinoma of the skin is a commonplace tumor, a review of the medical literature indicates a paucity of information on carcinoma of sweat-gland origin. Rarer still are reports of metastasizing carcinoma of the sweat gland. A case of primary sweat-gland carcinoma of the cheek with lymphatic metastases to the neck is reported in this paper, representing the 33d reported case. It is the opinion of many pathologists that carcinoma of the sweat glands and other skin appendages is commoner than indicated, but is not diagnosed clinically or microscopically. This difficulty in diagnosis stems from the fact that both glandular and epidermal elements can be seen in sweat glands and the malignancy is difficult to determine histologically. Dedifferentiation of benign sweat-gland tumors to carcinoma has been suggested. This suggestion is on the basis sometimes of a long history of the presence of a skin nodule with late