Verruciform xanthoma (VX) is a rare lesion of the oral cavity, first described by Shafer in 1971.Most cases of VX occur in the gingiva. VX arising in the lip is extremely rare. We report a case of VX arisingin the lower lip and discuss its histogenesis.
A 69-year-old woman consulted our hospital because of a lower lip mass on April 27, 2000. Intraoral examinationshowed a yellowish tumorous lesion with a rough surface, measuring 22×14mm, on the mucosalsurface of the lower lip. A biopsy was performed, and the diagnosis was verruciform xanthoma. Based onthis diagnosis, the tumor was excised under local anesthesia on May 31.
Histopathologically, the tumor consisted of stratified squamous epithelium with parakeratosis andshowed elongated rete ridges. Between and under the rete ridges, aggregation of foam cells was observed.These foam cells were immunohistochemically positive for CD-68 and lysozyme, which indicated that thecells were histiocytes of the monocyte-macrophage system.
The patient has had no local recurrence as of 1 year 6 months postoperatively.
