This information is provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD).
Apocrine carcinoma is a cancer of a sweat gland. Apocrine carcionoma most often develops under the arm (the axilla), but it can develop on the scalp or other parts of the body.[7481][7482] The cause of apocrine carcinoma is unknown. Apocrine carcinoma usually appears as a single, small, painless bump (nodule) that can vary in color and slowly increases in size.[7481][7482] The average age at the time of diagnosis is 62 years of age, and twice as many men are affected than women.[7482] Most apocrine carcinomas can be treated and are not fatal.[7482][7483] Treatment of apocrine carcinoma is surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible.[7481][7482][7483] Additional treatments such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy have been used to treat this condition, but the usefulness of these treatments is unproven.[7483]
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