Outcome after treatment for sebaceous carcinoma: A multicenter study

Background Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a rare malignant tumour whereby, comprehensive long-term data are scarce. This study aimed to assess the outcome of patients treated with resection for SC. Methods Patients treated at four tertiary centres were included. Cumulative incidence curves were calculated for recurrences. Results A total of 100 patients (57 males, 57%) were included with 103 SCs. The median age was 72 (range, 15-95) years with a median follow-up of 52 (interquartile range [IQR], 24-93) months. Most SCs were located (peri)ocular (49.5%). Of all SCs, 17 locally recurred (16.5%) with a median time to recurrence of 19 (IQR, 8-29) months. The cumulative incidence probability for recurrence was statistically higher for (peri)ocular tumours (p = 0.005), and for positive resection margins (p = 0.001). Two patients presented with lymph node metastases and additional seven patients (8.7%) developed lymph node metastases during follow-up with a median time to metastases of 8 (IQR, 0.5-28) months. Three patients had concurrent in-transit metastases and one patient also developed liver and bone metastases during follow-up. Conclusion SC is a rare, yet locally aggressive tumour. Positive resection margins and (peri)ocular SCs are more frequently associated with local recurrence. SC infrequently presents with locoregional or distant metastases.

Automated summary

This study assessed the outcome of patients treated with resection for sebaceous carcinoma (SC) and found that SC is a rare tumor with low recurrence and metastasis rates. However, (peri)ocular SC and positive resection margins are associated with a higher risk of recurrence. These findings are important for understanding the development and treatment of SC.