Tubular apocrine adenoma with eccrine and apocrine immunophenotypes or papillary tubular adenoma?

A case of papillary tubular adenoma is reported. On microscopic examination the lesion, located on the scalp, showed a tubular-branching pattern, opening on the skin surface, and features of decapitation secretion. Immunohistochemical evidence of both eccrine and apocrine differentiation was found. This case, which on a clinicopathological basis alone could be classified as tubular apocrine adenoma, illustrates the difficulties in contrasting the latter to its eccrine counterpart (papillary eccrine adenoma) and suggests that the terms papillary tubular adenoma or tubulopapillary hidradenoma more accurately describe these lesions.