Pilomatrix carcinoma of the head and neck: Case report and literature review.

We present the unique case of a 63-year-old man with a pilomatrix carcinoma of the left parotid region. He had bilateral cervical lymph node spread but no detectable distant metastasis. The patient underwent a wide excision of the lesion with a radical parotidectomy, temporal bone resection, bilateral neck dissections, and post-operative radiation. The literature reports a poor prognosis associated with regional spread occurring with distant metastasis. The patient we report is alive at over two years post-operatively. With only one other case of a head and neck pilomatrix carcinoma ever reported in Canada, our report and review of the literature contributes to what little is known currently about the treatment of this malignancy.
Source: Head and Neck Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research