Clear Cell Acanthoma of the Areola and Nipple

Abstract

Clear cell acanthoma (CCA) is a benign epidermal lesion of epidermal keratinocytes which has a distinctive histopathology. Firstly described as a benign epidermal tumor, at the present, it is discussed if it is a true tumor or has an inflammatory reactive origin. Typical CCA is a red to brown, dome-shaped, solitary papule or nodule, often covered by a thin collarette of scale. The lesions usually present on the legs in middle-aged to elderly persons, without gender predilection. At the present, only nine cases of CCA on the areola or the nipple have been reported in the literature. On this location, women predilection is seen and typically presented as a chronic, erythematous, scaled, well-defined plaque, regarding chronic eczema. The preferred treatment is lesion removal, although anti-inflammatory treatment with potent corticosteroids should be previously done, based on reactive inflammatory dermatosis origin hypothesis.