Metastatic eccrine porocarcinoma: response to docetaxel (Taxotere) chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND

Eccrine porocarcinoma is an uncommon neoplasm of the intra-epidermal sweat gland duct.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A case of eccrine porocarcinoma in a female renal transplant patient aged 45 years is described with a review of pertinent literature.

RESULTS

The primary tumour was highly pleomorphic. In places large and small cells merged and focally the former component infiltrated the epidermis in a manner akin to Paget's disease of the breast. The majority of the tumour was high grade; using the modified Bloom and Richardson grading system, usually applied to mammary ductal carcinomas, the tumour graded as 3. Metastatic disease developed nine months following primary surgical treatment. The metastatic eccrine porocarcinoma was resistant to epirubicin but responded to docetaxel chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

There are no data to support the use of adjuvant therapy in the management of eccrine porocarcinoma. The use of the modified Bloom and Richardson grading system may define cases at high risk of relapse in which adjuvant therapy might be considered. Metastatic eccrine porocarcinoma has proven resistant to many chemotherapeutic agents. We report the first use of docetaxel in the management of this disease. The treatment was well tolerated and resulted in marked symptomatic and radiological responses. Treatment with docetaxel should be considered in future cases of this rare tumour.