Sentinel lymph node biopsy of primary apocrine sweat gland carcinoma of the axilla: A case report and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION: Primary apocrine sweat gland carcinoma (PASGC) is a rare subtype of sweat gland carcinoma, mostly occurring in the apocrine-dense regions such as the axilla, areola, and scalp. PRESENTATION OF CASE: An 83-year-old woman developed a red elevating mass on her left axilla, without palpable axillary lymph nodes. Excision biopsy revealed that the tumor was PASGC. Additional wide resection and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) were performed without any adjuvant therapy. One year after the surgical procedure, the patient did not show any evidence of recurrence and axillary surgical complications. DISCUSSION: As PASGC arising in the axilla can progress aggressively, differential diagnosis is essential. Previous reports have shown the usefulness of SLNB, but the axillary management for patients with clinically node negative PASGC has not been established because of its rarity. Especially in axillary cases, to identify the true sentinel lymph nodes is sometimes considered inaccurate because the lymphatic flow is complicated in the axilla. CONCLUSION: Although SLNB in sweat gland carcinoma has believed safety and been performed, this is the first axillary PASGC case that was performed SLNB. Careful follow-up is needed.