Sebaceous carcinoma in the clinical setting of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: The Mayo Clinic experience

Objectives Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a hematologic malignancy associated with the more aggressive behavior of some forms of skin cancer. An association between sebaceous carcinoma and immunosuppression has been identified, but the behavior of sebaceous carcinoma in the setting of non-Hodgkin lymphoma has not been studied. This study aimed to increase understanding of the behavior of sebaceous carcinoma in patients with concomitant non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Methods Six patients diagnosed with sebaceous carcinoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma from 1976 to 2008 were identified at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Their charts were reviewed retrospectively. Results All six patients were male and White and presented with sebaceous carcinoma on non-eyelid regions of the head and neck. Two patients had Muir-Torre syndrome; four had secondary cancers that included colon, prostate, transitional cell, and urothelial cancers. Skin cancers other than sebaceous carcinoma included basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Three patients died of causes unrelated to sebaceous carcinoma; one died of an unknown cause and two were alive at the time of the study. Conclusions Sebaceous carcinoma does not appear to behave more aggressively in the setting of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Larger studies are needed to definitively understand how sebaceous carcinoma behaves in patients with lymphoma.