Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Appearance of Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcoma

Abstract

Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma is a rare and aggressive entity that originates in the skin’s dermis. This poorly defined tumor usually appears on the sun exposed skin of the elderly and involves the male gender more often. We describe the case of a 54 year old male patient who presented to the Surgery Department with a tumor located on the scalp. Surgery was performed and the sample was sent to the Pathology Department of Mures Clinical County Hospital for further analysis. Histological analysis showed a tumor with solid architecture and nesting phenomenon, composed of pleomorphic epithelioid cells with high atypia. Typical and atypical mitoses were observed. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for the following markers: vimentin, CD68 and ki67- proliferation value of 90%. The cells were negative to CK AE1/AE3, S100, SOX10, HMB45, MelanA, CD31, Desmin and SMA. In conclusion, pleomorphic dermal sarcoma represents a challenging diagnosis. The case highlights the histological and immunohistochemistry appearance of the neoplasm. Due to the local aggressivity, difficulty in providing negative resection margins and uncertain prognosis, it’s important to take this entity into consideration each time we encounter a cutaneous pleomorphic tumor.