Atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma: A case review

Pilomatrixoma, or calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe, is a rare and benign tumour. Typical presentation of pilomatrixoma is solitary, firm lesions found in the head and neck regions. Pilomatrixoma are often misdiagnosed due to their clinical presentation, which is synonymous with other cutaneous pat...

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Main Authors: Kerman Sekhon, Yvette Miller-Monthrope, Christian Murray, Michael Weinberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-02-01
Series:SAGE Open Medical Case Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2050313X251320195
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author Kerman Sekhon
Yvette Miller-Monthrope
Christian Murray
Michael Weinberg
author_facet Kerman Sekhon
Yvette Miller-Monthrope
Christian Murray
Michael Weinberg
author_sort Kerman Sekhon
collection DOAJ
description Pilomatrixoma, or calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe, is a rare and benign tumour. Typical presentation of pilomatrixoma is solitary, firm lesions found in the head and neck regions. Pilomatrixoma are often misdiagnosed due to their clinical presentation, which is synonymous with other cutaneous pathology. The reported and true incidence of pilomatrixoma are 1% and 16%, respectively. Cystic pilomatrixoma is a unique variant that presents without the pathognomonic feature of a firm lesion. This study presents the case of a 52-year-old man with a post-auricular pilomatrixoma. It is erythematous, soft, mobile, and 4 cm in diameter. Its size categorizes the lesion as a giant pilomatrixoma. These pilomatrixoma pose a diagnostic challenge as they mimic malignant lesions. It was highly erythematous and mimicked Merkel cell carcinoma in on initial presentation. It was a sebum-filled lesion, which is quite atypical for pilomatrixoma. A previous study finds that only three cases of cystic pilomatrixoma have been reported in the literature previously. This case study presents the case of an atypical variant of a rare tumour. There is a paucity in the literature on cystic pilomatrixoma. Giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma has not previously been described in a case report in the literature, as to our knowledge. This study highlights the diversity in the clinical presentations of pilomatrixoma to improve our clinical sensitivity to pilomatrixoma.
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spelling doaj-art-fae0044e12154afe89b1c8c19650fcbe2025-08-20T02:45:45ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open Medical Case Reports2050-313X2025-02-011310.1177/2050313X251320195Atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma: A case reviewKerman Sekhon0Yvette Miller-Monthrope1Christian Murray2Michael Weinberg3Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaDermatology Division, Department of Medicine, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, CanadaDermatology Division, Department of Medicine, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, CanadaPlastic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga, ON, CanadaPilomatrixoma, or calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe, is a rare and benign tumour. Typical presentation of pilomatrixoma is solitary, firm lesions found in the head and neck regions. Pilomatrixoma are often misdiagnosed due to their clinical presentation, which is synonymous with other cutaneous pathology. The reported and true incidence of pilomatrixoma are 1% and 16%, respectively. Cystic pilomatrixoma is a unique variant that presents without the pathognomonic feature of a firm lesion. This study presents the case of a 52-year-old man with a post-auricular pilomatrixoma. It is erythematous, soft, mobile, and 4 cm in diameter. Its size categorizes the lesion as a giant pilomatrixoma. These pilomatrixoma pose a diagnostic challenge as they mimic malignant lesions. It was highly erythematous and mimicked Merkel cell carcinoma in on initial presentation. It was a sebum-filled lesion, which is quite atypical for pilomatrixoma. A previous study finds that only three cases of cystic pilomatrixoma have been reported in the literature previously. This case study presents the case of an atypical variant of a rare tumour. There is a paucity in the literature on cystic pilomatrixoma. Giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma has not previously been described in a case report in the literature, as to our knowledge. This study highlights the diversity in the clinical presentations of pilomatrixoma to improve our clinical sensitivity to pilomatrixoma.https://doi.org/10.1177/2050313X251320195
spellingShingle Kerman Sekhon
Yvette Miller-Monthrope
Christian Murray
Michael Weinberg
Atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma: A case review
SAGE Open Medical Case Reports
title Atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma: A case review
title_full Atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma: A case review
title_fullStr Atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma: A case review
title_full_unstemmed Atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma: A case review
title_short Atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma: A case review
title_sort atypical giant proliferating cystic pilomatrixoma a case review
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2050313X251320195
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AT michaelweinberg atypicalgiantproliferatingcysticpilomatrixomaacasereview