Gastric Xanthelasma: A Report of Two Cases with Review of Literature

Abstract

Background: Gastric xanthelasmas are rare lesions. The lesions are frequently located in the stomach and less common sites are esophagus, duodenum and the colon. Case Presentation: We reported two cases in this study. A 50-year-old man with a past medical history of diabetes mellitus applied with dysphagia and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a yellow plaque (10×10mm) on the gastric mucosa of cardiac part and during biopsy is easily picked. Histopathological examination of the plaque excluded gastric cancer and revealed numerous large polygonal cells with abundant foamy cytoplasm. A 60-year-old man attended hospital with abdominal pain radiating to the back that there was a 3×2mm yellowish-white plaque in the antrum of the stomach. Histopathological examination of the gastric mucosa in the antrum showed mild chronic gastritis and some H.pylori-like microorganisms. Also, aggregates of foamy macrophages were presented. Conclusions: Although the clinical significance of gastric xanthelasmas are unclear, similarities with malignancies and association with premalignant lesions, we need to pay attention to diagnosis of xanthelasmas. A biopsy is mandatory and it is advisable to use histochemical and immunohistochemical methods to confirm the diagnosis of xanthelasmas and eliminate the possibility of gastric malignancy.