Immunolabeling pattern of cytokeratin 19 expression may distinguish sebaceous tumors from basal cell carcinomas.J Cutan Pathol. 2008 Jan;35(1):40-5.

BACKGROUND: Distinction between sebaceous tumors and basal cell carcinomas can often pose diagnostic problems. Recent work with the antibody to cytokeratin 19 (CK 19) has shown that this marker has high specificity for undifferentiated basaloid cells. Our aim was to evaluate the use of CK 19 staining patterns in differentiating between sebaceous tumors and basal cell carcinomas. The sebaceous tumors that were examined in this study included sebaceous adenomas, sebaceous epitheliomas (sebaceomas) and sebaceous carcinomas. METHODS: Thirty-seven cases including 5 sebaceous adenomas, 16 sebaceous epitheliomas, 6 sebaceous carcinomas and 14 basal cell carcinomas (7 being of the morpheaform type and 7 nodular basal cell carcinomas) were tested with a monoclonal mouse antibody to human CK 19. RESULTS: CK 19 was focally positive in 1/5 (20%) sebaceous adenomas, 8/16 (50%) of sebaceous epitheliomas and 1/6 (17%) of sebaceous carcinomas. Strongly positive expression of CK 19 was not seen in any of the sebaceous adenoma, sebaceous epithelioma or sebaceous carcinoma specimens. CK 19 was found to be strongly positive in 9/14 (64%) and focally positive in 2/14 (14%) of basal cell carcinomas. CONCLUSION: CK 19 expression can be helpful in differentiating sebaceous tumors (including sebaceous adenomas, sebaceous epitheliomas and sebaceous carcinomas) from basal cell carcinomas and may be a useful adjunct when these entities are included in the differential diagnosis.

Clinicopathological analysis of periocular sebaceous gland carcinoma.Ophthalmologica. 2007;221(5): 331-9.

BACKGROUND: We analyzed the clinicopathological features and prognosis in patients with periocular sebaceous gland carcinoma. METHODS: Retrospectively, we studied the records of 24 cases of sebaceous gland carcinoma treated in our clinic between 1999 and 2004. The reviewed data included demographic information, initial clinical and histopathological diagnosis, anatomic tumor location, details of treatment, tumor involvement of resection margin, and outcomes such as local recurrence, distant metastasis and survival. RESULTS: Local recurrence developed in 6 cases (25%) at a median of 20 months from initial diagnosis. Only 2 patients (8.3%) died of systemic metastasis to brain and bone from primary lacrimal gland carcinoma. The local recurrence rate in the complete excision group (5.9%) was significantly lower compared with the incomplete excision with irradiation group (71.4%; Fisher's exact test, p = 0.003). We observed a shorter duration of symptom, a higher rate of eventual exenteration and local recurrence, and a shorter time interval to local recurrence from initial management in poorly differentiated tumors compared with moderately differentiated tumors. CONCLUSION: It is critical to achieve a negative tumor margin in both frozen and permanent section to prevent local recurrence. Early aggressive management is required in sebaceous gland carcinoma of the lacrimal gland, as its mortality is much higher than that of eyelid origin.