Symptoms Of Eccrine Poroma: Causes, Diagnosis And Treatment

Poroma is a benign tumor of sweat glands. Sweat glands secrete sweat which keeps the skin well hydrated. Human skin has three types of sweat glands namely eccrine glands, apocrine glands and sebaceous sweat glands. Eccrine poroma originates from eccrine sweat glands of skin. It is a slow growing tumor mostly present in people between 30 to 60 years of age. Eccrine poroma was first described by Pinkus in 1956. At least 10 percent of sweat gland tumors comprises of eccrine glands.

The growth originates from the epidermal layer of eccrine sweat gland.

Causes And Risk Factors For Eccrine Poroma

Researchers are still unable to find the exact cause of eccrine poroma. However, some believe the underlying cause can be due to mutation in certain genes.

There is no gender discrimination noted. It means men and women are equally affected with this problem. People of all races can be afflicted by eccrine poroma. This condition is observed among people living in all parts of world.

Certain risk factors have been identified such as exposure to radiation therapy, nevus of the sebaceous gland and pregnancy that can contribute in development of eccrine poroma.

Signs And Symptoms Of Eccrine Poroma

Eccrine poroma can be identified with its appearance. Here are some of the signs and symptoms of this condition:

• Slow growing solitary benign nodule on the skin.
• It originates from the epidermal layer of eccrine sweat gland. Epidermis is the outer most layer of the skin.
• It is a small nodule which reaches the maximum size of 1 cm.
• There is no associated itching or pain. However, some patients may have moderate pain at the local site.
• The usual site of its occurrence is palm or sole. Some medical literature also describes its occurrence at other sites such as the chest, eye and buttocks.
• One of its characteristic features is the cup shaped depression from which the tumor protrudes out.
• Occasionally eccrine poroma may have pigments which may confuse the dermatologist with basal cell carcinoma.
• Repeated friction on the surface can cause bleeding and ulceration. This may increase the risk of secondary infection.

Diagnosis And Treatment For Eccrine Poroma

Eccrine poroma is diagnosed by a dermatologist. A dermatologist is a physician who is specialized in treating skin ailments. He is able to diagnose the ailment with the help of following:

• Medical history and examining the skin with naked eye.
• Dermoscopy: The dermatologist uses a special magnified lens to examine the skin lesion. It helps to distinguish may pigmented and non pigmented skin tumors.
• Skin biopsy: A small part of skin is removed and sent to the laboratory for histopathological test to determine the findings under microscope.

Eccrine poroma is a benign skin condition. It means the tumor is non malignant. It usually does not require any specific treatment. However, some people may be concerned because of cosmetic reasons. In such cases excision of the nodule is possible.

It can be done with electrosurgical method or simple excision of the lesion. Partial removal is not done due to chances of its recurrence. Normally once the entire lesion is removed there is less chances of its recurrence.