Rare type of skin cancer treated at Chennai private hospital

CHENNAI: A 56-year-old patient was taken to a private hospital with complaints of swelling on the left lower face region. However, the swelling was identified as a rare type of skin cancer and treated successfully after a surgical procedure.

The patient was brought to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College at Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences after the swelling increased. The patient had a similar swelling in the same area 15 years prior, which was operated on at a government hospital. However, following the operation, the swelling recurred and gradually increased in size.

The patient returned to the government hospital for a diagnosis, but the results were inconclusive. Consequently, the patient sought treatment at Saveetha Dental College and was admitted for a thorough examination.

After evaluation by Dr Murugesan Krishnan, head of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery at the hospital and Dr Lakshmi Narayanan, consultant Head & Neck Oncologist, it was found that the patient was suspected to have dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, which is a rare type of skin cancer. It starts in the middle layer of the skin.

It is an uncommon soft tissue tumor that involves the dermis, subcutaneous fat, and in rare cases, muscle and fascia. The tumor presents as a slowly growing, firm plaque on the skin. The patient underwent surgery where a wide local excision of the tumor was performed along with superficial parotidectomy. The resulting defect was reconstructed using a submental flap. The patient was successfully treated and is recovering well.