Verruciform xanthoma in the setting of cutaneous trauma and chronic inflammation: report of a patient and a brief review of the literature.

We report a rare case of multiple, co-exisitng verruciform xanthomas (VXs) of the anogenital region in the setting of cutaneous trauma. VX is a rare benign mucocutaneous neoplasm that typically presents as a solitary lesion with a predilection for the oral cavity, although extra-oral lesions have been reported involving the vulva, scrotum, penis, anal region and extremities. The etiology and pathogenesis of VX have yet to be determined; however, recent literature has reported that multifocal cutaneous VX are frequently associated with pre-existing inflammatory processes. A significant number of VXs of the skin have been found to co-exist with cutaneous disorders including graft vs. host disease, discoid lupus erythematosus, pemphigus vulgaris, and recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Therefore, we speculate severe cutaneous trauma and chronic inflammation may induce epithelial keratinocytes to respond aberrantly leading to epidermal hyperplasia and foamy cell formation characterizing the VX lesion.