Background
Digital papillary adenocarcinoma (DPA), formerly known as aggressive DPA, is a rare adnexal cancer of sweat gland differentiation with metastatic potential. DPA epidemiology and patient outcome data are a prerequisite to develop diagnostic and therapeutic guidance, which is lacking for this rare cancer.
Objectives
To report the incidence, patient demographics and treatment of patients with DPA in England from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2020 using national cancer registry data.
Methods
DPA diagnoses in England during 2013–2020 were identified from the National Cancer Registration Dataset using morphology and behaviour codes. These were registered from routinely collected pathology reports and cancer outcomes and services datasets. The 2013 European age-standardised incidence rates (EASRs) were calculated.
Results
In total, 36 DPA (7 in females and 29 in males) were diagnosed. The median age at diagnosis for the cohort was 54 years (interquartile range 46–64). The most frequently affected sites were upper limbs (81%). All patients in the cohort received surgical excisions. The European age-standardised incidence rate (EASRs) was 0.10 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07-0.14] per 1,000,000 person-years (PY)].
Conclusion
This study reports the incidence and variation of DPA in England between 2013 and 2020. DPA was more common in older men and predominantly affected the upper limbs. This supports the need to develop a national policy for the reporting and management of DPA as well as clinical guideline development.