[Clinical manifestations and treatment of sweat gland carcinoma--analysis of 22 cases].

Twenty-two patients with sweat gland carcinoma treated during the past 8 years are reported. They constitute 4.4% of malignant lesions of the skin during the same period. Of these 22 patients, 2 were apocrine gland carcinoma, 15 eccrine carcinoma, 4 hidradenocarcinoma and 1 cylindroma. In 11 patients with distant metastasis, 90.9% had lymphatic metastasis and 36.3% had blood metastasis. Vascular disseminations were mainly to the bone, lung and skin in order of incidence. Sweat gland carcinoma is rare and of low malignancy with evident tendency of recurrence. Prognosis was mainly related to the presence of distant metastasis. It is believed that the enlarged local resection should be given to patients without metastasis. On the other hand, local resection plus regional dissection should be performed on patients with metastasis. Post-operative irradiation may be helpful to prevent distant metastasis.