# A Case of Digital Papillary Carcinoma Arising on the Toe in a Young Female

## TL;DR

A teenage girl developed a rare cancer on her toe that was initially misdiagnosed, highlighting the need for biopsies in unusual skin growths.

## Contribution

This case highlights the diagnostic challenge of distinguishing benign and malignant skin lesions through clinical and histopathological findings.

## Key findings

- Digital papillary carcinoma can present in young patients and may be misdiagnosed as benign lesions.
- Prior excisions without biopsy can lead to recurrence of aggressive skin neoplasms.
- Biopsy is crucial for accurate diagnosis of skin lesions of unknown origin.

## Abstract

Syringocystadenoma papilliferum is a rare benign adnexal hamartoma that is often associated with the nevus sebaceous of Jadassohn. It usually presents on the scalp and malignant transformation is rare. Here we present a case of digital papillary carcinoma on the toe of a teenage girl. The lesion recurred after two prior excisions without biopsy. The biopsy was read as a syringocystadenoma papilliferum with concerns for aggressive digital papillary adenocarcinoma, highlighting the importance of biopsy with excisions of neoplasms of unknown etiology.