Solitary Ulcerated Congenital Giant Juvenile Xanthogranuloma

Congenital-type juvenile xanthogranuloma: A case series and literature review

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Congenital juvenile xanthogranulomas are infrequently described in the medical literature. We report three previously unpublished cases and systematically review the literature to better characterize this variant.

METHODS

We surveyed English-language articles indexed in MEDLINE (1951-March 2017) and EMBASE (1974-March 2017) for cases of congenital-onset juvenile xanthogranulomas confirmed on histopathology. Cases were divided into two categories: cutaneous only or cutaneous with systemic involvement.

RESULTS

We identified 31 cases of congenital juvenile xanthogranulomas involving only the skin and 16 cases with systemic involvement. Congenital juvenile xanthogranulomas involving only the skin were large (> 3 cm), presented with various clinical morphologies, and showed signs of regression by 1 year of age. Atypical clinical presentations included exophytic tumors, infiltrative plaques, agminated plaques, and subcutaneous tumors. Complications included ulceration and anetodermic scarring. Infants with congenital cutaneous juvenile xanthogranulomas who also had systemic involvement typically had multiple cutaneous tumors and hepatic involvement and showed signs of spontaneous regression independent of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The medical literature supports that congenital juvenile xanthogranulomas behave in a fashion similar to that of juvenile xanthogranulomas of infancy or childhood. Congenital cutaneous juvenile xanthogranulomas with or without systemic involvement spontaneously regress. The varied clinical presentations in the skin may lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate examination, and unnecessary treatments. Infants with multiple congenital cutaneous juvenile xanthogranulomas should be evaluated for systemic involvement, with a particular focus on the liver, because 72.2% of these children were found to have hepatic juvenile xanthogranulomas.

Giant Juvenile Xanthogranuloma: Case Report, Literature Review, and Algorithm for Classification

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a member of the non-Langerhans cell group of proliferative disorders of mononuclear phagocytes. JXG is a benign tumour of histiocytic cells. Classic JXG is divided into 2 main clinical subtypes: dome-shaped papules (<0.5 cm) and single/multiple nodules (<2.0 cm). A rare variant is referred to as giant; this term encompasses JXG lesions larger than 2.0 cm. In this article, we report a case of a congenital cutaneous giant JXG. In addition, we reviewed and analyzed all cases (n = 51) of giant JXG reported in the English literature. We propose an algorithm for classifying giant JXG based on the following factors: onset of lesions (congenital and acquired), number of lesions (solitary ± satellites and multiple), morphology of cutaneous/mucosal lesions (plaque, nodular, ulcerated-nodular, macular, and other), and extracutaneous manifestations.