Malignant eccrine spiradenoma

Surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible is usually the first step of treatment for malignant eccrine spiradenoma.  Both a traditional surgical technique known as wide local excision and the newer Mohs micrographic surgery are thought to be effective for treating this cancer.  Additional treatment may include radiation therapy to destroy any cancer cells that might remain after surgery.  Though chemotherapy has been used in cases of malignant eccrine spiradenoma, it is thought to be of limited help in treating this disease.^[1]

There is one article which reviews treatment and survival in 72 patients with malignant eccrine spiradenoma.  For those patients whose cancer remained in the original location and had not spread to nearby lymph nodes, all of them were alive and disease-free during the time they were followed by their physicians (the follow-up time for these individuals ranged from six months to 12 years, with an average follow-up time of three years for the group).  Of the patients whose tumor had spread to lymph nodes, half were alive and disease-free during follow-up (the follow-up time for these individuals ranged from two months to 8 years, with an average follow-up time of four years for the group).  Survival was the lowest for those patients whose tumor had spread beyond the lymph nodes to more distant parts of the body (metastasized).^[1]