Eccrine poroma versus eccrine porocarcinoma: a comparative study of clinicopathological features.

Background: Eccrine porocarcinoma (EPC) is a rare cutaneous neoplasm, commonly arising from its benign counterpart, eccrine poroma (EP), but potential unrevealed clinicopathological differences between them are not well understood.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify clinicopathological features of EP and EPC and describe the factors that may be associated with the malignant transformation of EP by comparing the two groups.

Methods: A total of 37 cases of EP and 22 cases of EPC diagnosed between January 2017 and June 2023 were retrospectively reviewed, and the clinical and histopathological characteristics were compared using statistical methods.

Results: Clinical and histopathologic data such as age, gender, site, clinical presentation, and histopathologic characteristics were collected. The EPC group was more common in older patients, with more cases located in exposed areas, and the patients with EPC had larger lesions with a higher incidence of ulceration. Histopathological features showed significant differences in tumor architecture, ulceration, squamous differentiation, spindle cell changes, central necrosis, and diffuse inflammatory infiltration between the two groups.

Study limitations: This study has limitations due to a small number of cases with potential experimental bias.

Conclusion: The clinicopathological features of EP and EPC were compared in this study and the results may assist clinicians in diagnosis and management of these tumors by helping to identify potential factors associated with the malignant transformation of EP.