title: Fibroepithelioma of Pinkus: variant of basal cell carcinoma or trichoblastoma? Case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fibroepithelioma of Pinkus (FeP) is a rare tumor that most often affects women aged between 40 and 60 years. Clinically FeP presents as a soft, usually solitary, polypoid or papillomatous well circumscribed tumor of skin color. It is typically located to the trunk and extremities.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 75 year old male presented to our Department complaining for the presence of a lesion of the dorsal region. His medical history was free except for several basal cell carcinoma (BCC) surgically excised. Clinical examination revealed a pigmented lesion in the back. The lesion was surgically excised and histopathology showed of a fibroepithelioma of Pinkus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Currently, FeP is considered a rare variant of basal cell carcinoma, with characteristic histopathological features, although this view is somewhat controversial as some authors considered FeP to be a variant of trichoblastoma. The pathogenesis of FeP is still under investigation. It is thought that a mutation in the tumor suppressor gene TP53 might predispose to the development of FeP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our case is interesting for two reasons. First, in our case FeP is pigmented. Moreover we present a case of Fep in a patient with a history of BCC, a finding that supports the classification of fibroepithelioma of Pinkus as a variant of basal cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tarallo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cigna
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fino
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lo Torto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Corrias
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scuderi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018295:Neoplasms, Basal Cell / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D018225:Neoplasms, Fibroepithelial / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*