ECCRINE ANGIOMATOUS HAMARTOMA (NEVUS) - IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL FINDINGS AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Eccrine angiomatous hamartoma (nevus) is a rare form of congenital tum orous malformation with proliferation of eccrine secretory coils and d ucts, surrounding capillary angiomatous channels and occasionally othe r minor elements. To date, there have been only about 24 cases reporte d in the literature. We report an additional case with more detailed d escription of the microscopic findings, including immunohistochemical observations. The patient was a 28-year-old female who presented with painless, flesh- to reddish brown-colored, violaceous or bluish subcut aneous nodules on the extremities and trunk. The tumors did not show s weating following exertion. The histologic features were comparable to the previously reported cases. The hamartomatous eccrine sweat glands and ducts and a few apocrine glands demonstrated qualitatively dimini shed antigens commonly found in the eccrine sweat apparatuses, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and S-100 protein. The findings of CD3 4, CD44, human nerve growth factor receptor and Ulex europaeus antigen s have not been previously reported. The histologic features suggested a ''hamartomatous'' growth rather than a true neoplastic process.