RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Histopathological findings in biopsy specimens from patients with cutaneous small-vessel vasculitis (CSVV) secondary to solid-organ malignancy have not been previously reported. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to understand better the differences in histopathological findings between biopsy specimens from patients with CSVV associated with solid-organ malignancies and patients with CSVV secondary to other causes. METHODS: From a previously published group of patients with CSVV and solid-organ malignancy, we identified patients with available histopathology slides of biopsy specimens. We compared histopathological findings from these patients with those from 68 previously published patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura not associated with solid-organ malignancy (60% male). RESULTS: We identified 15 patients (eight male, 53%) with available slides from biopsy specimens. The mean age of these patients with solid-organ malignancy-associated CSVV was 66·6 years, compared with 45·8 years in the Henoch-Schönlein purpura cases not associated with solid-organ malignancy (P < 0·001). Solid-organ malignancy-associated CSVV was less likely to demonstrate papillary dermal oedema (P = 0·04), papillary dermal inflammation (P < 0·001) and lymphocytes (P < 0·001), and more likely to have plasma cells (P = 0·02). Additionally, we detected nonsignificant differences in the presence of histiocytes (P = 0·05), intravascular thrombosis (P = 0·052) and microabscess formation (P = 0·06). CONCLUSIONS: CSVV associated with solid-organ malignancies tended to have deeper dermal involvement and a different cellular milieu from cases not associated with solid-organ malignancies. In addition, the patients with CSVV with solid-organ malignancies were significantly older than those without. Prospective studies with age-matched controls are needed to determine the clinical significance of the histopathological differences in solid-organ malignancy-associated CSVV.
Asunto(s)
Neoplasias/patología , Enfermedades Cutáneas Vasculares/patología , Piel/patología , Vasculitis/patología , Adulto , Anciano , Biopsia , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Microvasos/patología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Piel/irrigación sanguínea , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Epidermolytic acanthoma (EA) is an uncommon cutaneous entity that typically presents as a solitary lesion, or, less commonly, as multiple or disseminated discrete lesions. It usually appears at or after middle-age, and has been reported in various locations including the face, trunk, extremities and genitalia. Histopathologically, EA shows epidermolytic hyperkeratosis (EHK) involving either the entire thickness of the epidermis or just the granular and upper spinous layers. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To describe the clinical and microscopic features of EA, we retrospectively reviewed all cases diagnosed as EA at the Skin Pathology Laboratory at Boston University between 1999 and 2009. RESULTS: Solitary EA is more common in men (65%) and usually presents as a hyperkeratotic papule on the trunk (45%) or extremities (25%). Histopathologically, all cases of solitary EA showed the classical features of hyperkeratosis, acanthosis and EHK. Three architectural patterns were observed on scanning magnification: papillomatous (55%), cup-shaped (40%) and acanthotic (15%). Additional common features encountered included focal parakeratosis (85%), and a sparse to mild superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate (90%). CONCLUSION: This large case series of solitary EA reviews the clinical features of this entity and describes several new histological variants.