Epidemiology of porocarcinoma in England 2013–2018: a population-based registry study

Abstract

Background Porocarcinoma (PC) is a cutaneous malignancy that differentiates towards the sweat ducts and glands. Lack of histological diagnostic markers makes clinical and pathological diagnosis complex. Limited data available suggests incidence is increasing, however this remains to be established in national epidemiological studies. Objectives To report the incidence, treatment and survival of PC in England from 1/01/2013 to 31/12/2018 using national cancer registry data. Methods PC diagnoses in England during 2013-18 were identified from the National Disease Registration Service using morphology and behaviour codes. These were registered from routinely collected pathology reports and cancer outcomes and services datasets. 2013 European age standardised incidence rates (EASR), Kaplan Meier all-cause survival and log rank test were calculated. Results 738 tumours, 396 in males and 342 in females, were diagnosed. The median age at diagnosis was 82 years old (interquartile range 74-88). The most frequently affected site were lower limbs (35.4%), followed by the face (16%). The majority of the cohort received surgical excision (72.9%). The Kaplan Meier all cause survival was 45.4% at 5 years, which was lower than in previous studies. The EASR for the whole population was 0.25 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23–0.27] per 100,000 person-years (PY)]. PC incidence rates in the East of England [EASR of 0.54 (95% CI 0.47–0.63) per 100,000 PY] were three times higher than the South West [EASR of 0.14 (95% CI 0.10–0.19) per 100,000 PY] where the regional rates were the lowest. Conclusions This study showed that there is large variation in the EASR of PC across England. This may reflect differences in how PC is diagnosed and registered in different regions in England. These data support national assessment of the management of porocarcinoma, which will inform future studies and guideline development.

Presentation and Management of Porocarcinoma: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of More Than One Thousand Patients

“…This scarcity could account for the limited data available in the literature. According to Joshy et al, the mean age of patients at the time of diagnosis with porocarcinoma is 82 years old [26]. However, the mean age of the reviewed patients in this study was 78.7 years old.…”

Pazopanib elicits remarkable response in metastatic porocarcinoma: a functional precision medicine approach

“…Although rare, it has the ability to metastasize to other parts of the body with mortality rates of 60 to 70% (Miyamoto et al 2022). Previous epidemiological studies estimate PC to only account for 0.005 to 0.01% of all malignant cutaneous neoplasms (Mehregan et al 1983;Joshy et al 2023). Due to its rarity and lack of studies, both the pathogenesis and clinical management of PC remain poorly understood.…”