MUC5AC in juvenile conjunctival nevus

Abstract

To evaluate the possible role of cysts with mucins and inflammatory cells in rapid-growing juvenile conjunctival nevus. This was a case-control study at a university-based referral clinic. Seventeen conjunctival melanocytic lesions surgically excised from patients aged <20 years between 2001 and 2009 were examined by hematoxylin-eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, MUC5AC, and Alcian blue staining. The clinical signs of the affected patients and the histological findings were characterized. Eleven patients (3 girls and 8 boys; mean age 13.72 ± 3.60 years) underwent excision of a conjunctival nevus that had grown rapidly within a recent 6-month period. We found a significantly higher number of prominent cysts with mucins in the rapid-growing specimens than in the stable-growing control specimens (n = 6; 33.7 ± 19.9 vs. 0.9 ± 0.9%, P = 0.0005). However, the numbers of inflammatory cells were not statistically significantly different (42.17 ± 15.46 vs. 45.55 ± 16.31, P = 0.683). The period of rapid growth of juvenile conjunctival nevus is not a malignant clinical sign. Although it might correlate with enlarged cysts lined by goblet cells associated with mucin secretions, the number of inflammatory cells remains relatively stable over time.