Sweat Gland Neoplasms and Their Management
Summary
Sweat gland neoplasms encompass a spectrum of benign and malignant tumours deriving from eccrine and apocrine skin appendages. Although rare, these adnexal tumours pose clinical challenges in diagnosis, prognostication and treatment. Malignant forms such as eccrine porocarcinoma and hidradenocarcinoma often present as indolent nodules but carry risks of local recurrence, lymphatic spread and distant metastasis. Histopathological evaluation, supported by immunohistochemical markers, remains the cornerstone of accurate classification. Surgical excision with clear margins is the primary intervention; Mohs micrographic surgery is increasingly applied to optimise tissue conservation while ensuring complete tumour removal. The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy is under active evaluation, especially for lesions with high-risk histological features. Adjuvant radiotherapy may improve local control in cases with close or positive margins. Systemic strategies for advanced or metastatic disease are emerging, with immune‐checkpoint inhibitors and targeted agents showing preliminary promise. Advances in molecular profiling have begun to uncover key genetic drivers and DNA repair deficiencies, offering new avenues for personalised therapy. Multidisciplinary management in specialised centres is essential to balance oncological safety with functional and cosmetic outcomes.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Sweat Gland Neoplasms and Their Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in sweat gland neoplasms and their management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Adnexal tumour: A neoplasm originating from skin appendages, including sweat and sebaceous glands.
Eccrine porocarcinoma: A malignant tumour arising from the intraepidermal duct of eccrine sweat glands, prone to local invasion and metastasis.
Mohs micrographic surgery: A staged excision technique that examines 100% of surgical margins, allowing maximal tissue preservation and high cure rates.
Whole-exome sequencing: A genomic method that sequences all protein-coding regions of genes to identify somatic mutations driving tumour development.
Homologous recombination repair: A high-fidelity DNA repair pathway for double-strand breaks, whose disruption can sensitize tumours to PARP inhibitors.
References
- Porocarcinoma: Clinical and Histological Features, Immunohistochemistry and Outcomes: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
- Navigating Head and Neck Porocarcinoma: Systematic Review with Special Emphasis on Surgical Safety Margins. Cancers (2024).
- Whole-exome sequencing in eccrine porocarcinoma indicates promising therapeutic strategies. Cancer Gene Therapy (2021).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.