[Clinical follow-up and presence of visceral tumors in 12 patients with sebaceous gland tumors].

Background: Sebaceous gland tumors are a rare type of neoplasm. In some cases they have been associated with visceral tumors in patients with Muir-Torre syndrome, a hereditary form of nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to review the diagnosis and follow-up of a series of patients with sebaceous gland tumors to assess how many met the criteria for Muir-Torre syndrome.
Patients and Methods: A search was performed of records from 1990 to 2005 in the database of the Department of Dermatology of the Consorcio Hospital General Universitario de Valencia in Valencia, Spain, to identify patients with sebaceous gland tumors. The biopsy material was reviewed to confirm the diagnosis. We also searched the patient histories for information suggestive of a diagnosis of Muir-Torre syndrome; when the histories were incomplete, we contacted the patients by telephone.
Results: We identified 20 patients diagnosed with sebaceous gland tumors, but after reviewing the biopsy material diagnosis was only confirmed in 12. Two patients belonged to a family with a history of visceral tumors that met the clinical criteria for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome. Follow-up was not uniform in all patients and not all underwent the same tests.
Conclusions: It is essential to rule out the presence of Muir-Torre syndrome in patients with sebaceous gland tumors. The use of new techniques such as immunohistochemistry or detection of microsatellite instability may help to identify families at increased risk of Muir-Torre syndrome.