Tricholemmal carcinoma of the head and neck region: A report of 15 cases

Tricholemmal carcinoma is an extremely rare malignancy of the skin, and its biological behavior and management is controversial. The objective of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and management of tricholemmal carcinoma of the head and neck region. The study analyzed 15 patients with tricholemmal carcinoma. Demographic and clinical data were collected, and features associated with the management and prognosis of tricholemmal carcinoma were analyzed. Two of the 15 patients were lost to follow-up. The results showed that, during the follow-up period, 5 of the 13 available patients succumbed to the causes of recurrence (n=3), neck lymph node metastasis (n=1) and Parkinson’s disease (n=1). No patients developed distant metastasis. The disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 31.1±7.8 and 32.9±7.4 months (mean ± SE), respectively, and the DFS and OS rates were 69.2 and 61.5%, respectively. In conclusion, the biological behavior of tricholemmal carcinoma is locoregionally aggressive. The recommended management for head and neck tricholemmal carcinoma is radical resection and neck dissection, and post-operative radiotherapy may be considered for high-risk patients.