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Sebaceous gland adenoma (sebaceous adenoma): causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
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Sebaceous gland adenoma (syn.: sebaceous adenoma) usually appears as a solitary nodule with a smooth surface of a yellowish tint, most often on the skin of the scalp or face, but can be located anywhere, in particular on the skin of the scrotum. No sexual preferences have been noted. Elderly patients predominate, but observations have been described in young and childhood. Sometimes sebaceous gland adenoma can appear against the background of a nevus of the sebaceous glands. Occasionally, it can ulcerate, in which case it imitates basalioma.
Pathomorphology. The tumor is located in the dermis in the form of multiple lobules of various sizes and shapes, separated from each other by connective tissue layers. The lobules consist of two types of cells - the so-called growth and mature cells of the sebaceous gland. Their ratio can be very different in different areas of the same tumor. Growth cells are small in size with a round or oval nucleus and rather scanty basophilic cytoplasm without signs of fat. There are transitional forms between these cells. Tumors in which growth cells predominate are less differentiated variants of sebaceous gland adenoma.
It is necessary to differentiate it first of all from basalioma with sebaceous differentiation. In sebaceous gland adenoma there are no proliferations of complexes of small dark cells, limited on the periphery by prismatic epithelium, forming palisade structures.
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