Is Histological Examination Necessary when Excising a Pilonidal Cyst?

Patient: Male, 77 Final Diagnosis: Pilonidal cyst Symptoms: Severe pain •bleeding mass Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Local radiation therapy • neoadjuvant chemotherapy • surgical resection Specialty: Surgery OBJECTIVE: Rare disease BACKGROUND: Pilonidal disease is a common inflammatory condition mostly affecting young males. Malignant degeneration of a pilonidal cyst is rare, with incidence estimated at 0.1%. The most common type is squamous cell carcinoma and the treatment of choice remains en block resection of the lesion. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a patient with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma arising in a pilonidal cyst, due to misdiagnosis of the disease during his first treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed histological examination of all excised pilonidal cyst lesions is essential and any histological suspicion should prompt a wider excision.