Search

We read with interest the article by Altman et al1 published in the February 1995 issue of the Archives. The authors reported a series of 10 cases of trichoblastic fibroma and they described a plaque variant of this neoplasm as a new and previously undescribed clinicopathologic variant of trichoblastic fibroma. We have some reservations about the terminology used in this article, such as the naming of the benign follicular neoplasms composed of germinative cells, and about the conclusions of the authors.In 1970 Headington2 described the hair germ tumors as benign epithelial-mesenchymal neoplasms of the skin in which hair follicle development may be partly or completely recapitulated. The epithelial component was interpreted as equivalent to the hair germ and the mesenchymal component as equivalent to the follicular papilla. Depending on the combination of epithelial and mesenchymal components and the evidence of what Headington termed stromal induction, he classified

TO THE EDITOR. —In "The Cutting Edge" section of the July issue of the Archives, Ledwig and Robinson1 said that melanoacanthoma is "a rare benign variant of seborrheic keratosis." Rare seems to be an inseparable adjective of melanoacanthoma. Pinkus and Mehregan2 emphasize "that this is an extremely rare tumor." Sanderson and Mackie3 refer to it as "a very rare lesion," and Lever and Schaumburg-Lever4 as a "rather rare variant of pigmented seborrheic keratosis." For Maize and Ackerman5 "seborrheic keratoses... are not usually associated with a striking proliferation of melanocytes." But, how rare is melanoacanthoma How many seborrheic keratoses are associated with a striking proliferation of melanocytes?To our knowledge, the only publication where this question stated is that of Sánchez Yus and Simón6 in 1969. These authors stained sections of seborrheic keratosis from nation;in two cases with Masson-Fontana silver impregnation;in two cases fresh tissue

TO THE EDITOR.— In the November 1985 issue of the Archives, Woo et al1 reported the results of their serologic study in linear scleroderma. Previously, Falanga et al2 reported high titers of antibodies to single-stranded DNA in this disease. We have had a related case in our department, with some findings that we consider important to communicate.The patient was a 21-year-old woman who developed linear scleroderma in the right leg during pregnancy. Before the sclerosis could be appreciated, she showed a pruritic, papuloerythematous eruption, in a similar way to the case reported by Siegel.3 In less than five months, all of the leg—from the inguinal region to the dorsal region of the foot—was affected in a linear arrangement with polymorphic lesions (indurated patches, hyperpigmented depressed areas, and erythematous patches). Histologic examination was consistent with scleroderma. Immunoglobulin deposit was not detected in affected skin.We have followed