Abstract
Cutaneous adnexal tumors often cause immense diagnostic difficulty, particularly the malignant variants. Indeed, in the context of the latter, many pathologists are satisfied with a diagnosis of adnexal carcinoma and do not attempt to sub-classify the tumor further.
To some extent this is understandable as excision is really the only treatment option in the majority of cases. Adnexal neoplasms (both benign and to a lesser extent malignant) may represent cutaneous markers of a wide range of hereditary syndromes and thus a correct diagnosis is essential to alert the clinician to this possibility.
Adnexal carcinomas form a very heterogeneous group of tumors of variable malignant potential. It is therefore also important that an accurate diagnosis be rendered in order that the patient may be spared unnecessary treatment for low-grade tumors.
This chapter deals with adnexal tumors with sebaceous and follicular differentiations.