A study of biopsy confirmed skin adnexal tumours: Experience at a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background and objectives: Skin adnexal tumours are a heterogeneous group of tumours with considerable clinical and histopathological overlap. Methods: Retrospective study of skin adnexal turmours (n=35) diagnosed on histopathological examination over a period of 11 years (January 1993 to December 2003) Results: Majority of the patients were in the third decade; females outnumbered males. Twenty seven tumours were benign and 8 were malignant. The most common benign and malignant tumours were nodular hidradenoma (n=5) and sweat gland carcinoma (n=4). Only 4 out of 35 cases showed clinical correlation with histopathologic diagnosis. Conclusions: Skin adnexal tumours are relatively rare. Benign adnexal tumours are more common than malignant lesions. Histopathology is essential to confirm the diagnosis.