Sebaceous carcinoma within rippled/carcinoid pattern sebaceoma.

Although the histogenesis of sebaceous carcinomas remains unclear, the occurrence of intraepidermal or intraepithelial sebaceous carcinoma in the epidermis or conjunctiva may suggest de novo histogenesis. This report describes a case of sebaceous carcinoma within preexisting rippled/carcinoid pattern sebaceoma. This lesion was composed of two (benign and malignant) components, and the benign component of the lesion showed the typical features of a rippled/carcinoid pattern sebaceoma. Although evidence of trauma as well as a vertical orientation was seen in this lesion, the malignant component of the lesion showed histopathological evidence of malignancy (sebaceous carcinoma), such as the aggregations with irregular and infiltrated borders, a sheet-like growth pattern, and the cytopathological findings of the neoplastic cells, showing a high-grade of malignancy (a high mitotic index and abnormal mitotic figures). The immunohistochemical staining for p53, Ki-67 and D2-40 also favored this diagnosis. This sebaceous carcinoma component was considered to be the incipient stage of carcinoma within preexisting sebaceoma, therefore, it was still considered to be a vertically oriented lesion. This case shows the possibility that abnormal (malignant) sebaceous germinative cells may originate within a sebaceoma, thereby suggesting that some sebaceous carcinomas may develop from preexisting sebaceomas.