Malignant Appearance of Trichilemmal Cyst: A Case Report With Review of the Literature
November 2023
in “
International surgery journal
”
TLDR A man's neck lump was a trichilemmal cyst, not cancer, and should be fully removed due to rare risk of becoming malignant.
A 69-year-old male presented with a nodular swelling in the left neck, which was initially suspected to be dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans but was later confirmed to be a trichilemmal cyst (TC) through histopathology after surgical excision. TCs are keratin-filled cysts that can develop into proliferating trichilemmal tumors (PTTs) or malignant proliferating trichilemmal tumors (MPTTs) in 2% of cases. These tumors have a higher prevalence in females and are typically found on the scalp, though they can occur anywhere, including rare locations like the submandibular region. Complete surgical excision is recommended for TCs due to their potential for proliferation or malignancy, which can impact postoperative management and prognosis.
