A. S. Moten3, S. Movva2, M. Von Mehren2, N. F. Esnaola1, S. Reddy1, J. M. Farma1 1Fox Chase Cancer Center,Department Of Surgery,Philadelphia, PA, USA 2Fox Chase Cancer Center,Department Of Hematology/Oncology,Philadelphia, PA, USA 3Temple University Hospital,Department Of Surgery,Philadelphia, PA, USA
Introduction: Granular cell tumors (GCT) are rare lesions that can occur in almost any location in the body, and there have been no large-scale studies regarding GCT located in the subcutaneous tissue. The aim of this study was to define patient characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes of patients with subcutaneous GCT.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of patients with subcutaneous GCT treated at a dedicated cancer center. Descriptive statistics were obtained, bivariate and multivariate regression performed, and survival rates calculated using Stata software.
Results: A total of 19 patients were treated for subcutaneous GCT at our institution between 1992 and 2015, 79% female and 63.2% white. Mean age was 48.2 years. Most (68.4%) had comorbidities, and some (31.6%) had a history of cancer. Mean tumor size was 2.37cm. Most patients underwent primary excision of their tumors without undergoing prior biopsy (73.7%). Men were more likely to undergo re-excision for positive margins than women (75.0% versus 13.3%, respectively, p-value 0.01). No patient received adjuvant therapy. Three patients (15.8%) had multifocal tumors, and they were significantly more likely to experience recurrence than patients with solitary tumors (33.3% versus 6.25%, respectively, p-value 0.02). Patients with multifocal tumors were also more likely to undergo repeat surgery (33.0% versus 0%, respectively, p-value 0.02). A total of 2 patients (10.5%) experienced recurrence, with a median time to recurrence of 23.5 months. Overall cancer-specific 5-year survival was 88.0%. There was no increased risk of death based on gender, race or recurrence status.
Conclusion: Patients with subcutaneous GCT treated with excision fair well without adjuvant treatment. However, patients with multifocal tumors are more likely to experience recurrence and should undergo repeat surgery.