Differential diagnosis of Brooke–Spiegler syndrome in a young woman with multiple trichoepitheliomas

Abstract

BrookeSpiegler syndrome (Brooke-Spiegler syndrome; OMIM #605041) is a rare, autosomal dominant inherited monogenic disease caused by mutations in gene CYLD with its different penetrance.
 It is clinically manifested by the development of multiple neoplasms of skin appendages such as spiradenoma, cylindroma, spiradenocylindroma and trichoepithelioma. Several phenotypic variants with mutations in gene CYLD have been described in the scientific literature. They are classic BrookeSpiegler syndrome; multiple familial trichoepithelioma syndrome (multiple trichoepitheliomas without cylindromas, spiradenomas, etc.); familial cylindromatosis (multiple cylindromas on the scalp i.e., "turban tumor"); syndrome of multiple spiradenomas or spiradenocylindromas without other neoplasms of the skin appendages. For four diseases associated with CYLD mutations, the prevalence is 1/1 000 000.
 The scientific literature describes more than 200 cases of BrookeSpiegler syndrome, which is more common in women. Phenotypic manifestations of the CYLD mutation are variable, so there is no reliable statistics on the frequency of occurrence of clinical variants of BrookeSpiegler syndrome. The variety of neoplasms of the skin appendages, the commonality of their histogenesis, the similarity of clinical and histological patterns significantly complicate the diagnosis. Verification of the diagnosis of BrookeSpiegler syndrome is based on histological examination and sequencing of the CYLD gene.