A Case of Long-term Calcifying Epithelioma in the Neck Region

Abstract

Calcifying epithelioma is a benign tumor derived from hair matrix cells. It more commonly involves the face and upper extremities in children and females and rarely occurs in individuals aged > 50 years. It can be detected at an early stage, with a typical clinical presentation of a hard mass under the skin, and can be surgically resected.
Here we report the case of a 50-year-old male who presented with a scleroid-like tumor mass that could be palpated in his left neck. He had been aware of the tumor for approximately 30 years, and it had been progressively increasing in size. The tumor was located over the left sternomastoid muscle, was approximately the size of the tip of the fifth finger, and was hard and mobile. Two sharply demarcated oval opacities were demonstrated on computed tomography (CT), with the same CT value as that of bone. We diagnosed neck calcifying epithelioma and resected the tumor under local anesthesia. Histological examination revealed calcified material containing shadow cells with marginal ossification. The surface skin showed no apparent abnormalities. We report this rare case of neck calcifying epithelioma that went undiagnosed for more than 30 years and discuss the relevant literature.