Multiple Desmoplastic Trichoepitheliomas

Desmoplastic trichoepitheliomas were described by Brownstein and Shapiro¹ in 1976. In 1977, MacDonald et al² described a similar benign adnexal tumor that they called a "sclerosing epithelial hamartoma." The study of Brownstein and Shapiro³ was also published in 1977. The lesions are typically solitary and usually found on the face of young women. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of multiple tumors.

Report of a Case  The patient was a 23-year-old woman with lesions that had first been noted when she was 5 years old. An asymptomatic lesion was removed when she was 14 years old. Histologic examination showed knoblike proliferation of basaloid cells extending from the basal layer of the epidermis. Strands of similar epithelial cells with focal squamous maturation were scattered throughout the dermis within a dense fibrous matrix. A diagnosis of follicular hamartoma was made. No therapy was instituted.