Lichen sclerosis et atrophicus masquerading as tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE

We report a case of a 70-year-old man of Asian origin with lichen sclerosus et atrophicus affecting the tonsil, which presented as a painful, enlarging, exophytic lesion mimicking squamous cell carcinoma.

METHOD: We present a case report and a review of the world literature regarding lichen sclerosus et atrophicus.

RESULTS

Lichen sclerosus is a chronic, benign, inflammatory dermatosis of the skin and mucous membranes which mostly affects the female genitalia, presenting as white plaques with epidermal atrophy. The cause is unknown, although a number of aetiologies have been proposed. The prevalence is unknown. Women have been reported to be affected six to 10 times more than men, and the condition has no known racial preference.

CONCLUSION

Our patient illustrates a rare case of the condition lichen sclerosus et atrophicus; to our knowledge, this case represents the first report of tonsillar involvement of the condition. The case presented a diagnostic challenge.