Giant-sized condyloma of the breast with focal acantholytic changes

Abstract

Background: A healthy 26-year-old pregnant woman presented with a 6.0-cm exophytic mass in her left inframammary fold. The lesion was surgically excised. Methods: Histopathologic sections of the skin lesion were reviewed in hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides. Additional sections were studied by an in situ hybridization method for human papillomavirus DNA (HPV) types 6 and 11. Results: The histopathologic examination demonstrated a benign exophytic, verrucous and papillary epidermal proliferation with features of condyloma acuminatum. Reactivity to HPV DNA types 6 and 11 was demonstrated by in situ hybridization method. The epidermis adjacent to, and focally within, the neoplasm showed multiple areas of suprabasilar and intraepidermal acantholysis without dyskeratosis. Conclusions: Condylomas related to HPV 6 and 11 may be found in extragenital locations including conjunctiva, oral and nasal mucosa. To our knowledge, however, the extragenital condylomas described in the literature have not included the giant-sized variant. We describe an example of a benign, giant-sized condyloma acuminatum of the breast with nearby acantholytic alterations similar to Hailey-Hailey disease. (C) Munksgaard 2000.