Oral verruciform xanthoma: a clinicopathologic study of 15 cases.
OBJECTIVE
Oral verruciform xanthoma (VX) is an uncommon oral mucosal lesion. This retrospective study evaluated the clinical and histopathologic features of 15 oral VXs occurring in Taiwanese patients.


METHODS
Fifteen consecutive cases of oral VX were collected from January 1988 to December 2005. Clinical data and microscopic features of these cases were reviewed and analyzed.


RESULTS
The mean age of patients was 45 years (range, 18-79 years). There were eight male and seven female patients. Seven (46.6%) cases occurred on the gingiva, four (26.7%) on the tongue, and four (26.7%) on the buccal or vestibular mucosa. The greatest mean dimension of the lesions was 0.8 cm (range, 0.3-2.0 cm). Three patients had concomitant other oral mucosal lesions such as oral submucous fibrosis, squamous cell carcinoma, and erosive oral lichen planus. Microscopically, all specimens showed varying degrees of surface parakeratosis and the accumulation of numerous foam cells in the connective tissue papillae among uniformly elongated epithelial ridges. Individuals or aggregates of foam cells were also found underneath the epithelial ridges in nine (60%) cases. When the oral VX lesions were further classified into three types according to the microscopic surface architecture, seven (47%) lesions were of the verrucous type, three (20%) the papillary type, and five (33%) the flat type. All patients received surgical excision of the lesions and no recurrence was noted during follow-up of up to 18 years.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral VXs occur more frequently in the fifth decade of life. The more commonly affected site is the gingiva. The treatment of choice for oral VXs is surgical excision. The prognosis is excellent and recurrence was not seen in this study.
Yu
Chuan-Hang
CH
Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry and School of Dentistry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tsai
Tung-Chieh
TC
Wang
Jeng-Tzung
JT
Liu
Bu-Yuan
BY
Wang
Yi-Ping
YP
Sun
Andy
A
Chiang
Chun-Pin
CP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014973:Xanthomatosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery