Cysts Flashcards
True cyst definition
have an epithelial lining, may be composed of stratified squamous epithelium or other forms of epithelia
Pseudocyst definition
No epithelial lining at all
Cysts with a stratified squamous epithelium
- Epidermoid - infundibular
- Milium, tricholemmal cysts, prolfierating tricholemmal cyst, infundibular cyst
- Vellus hair cyst, steatocystoma, cutaneous keratocyst, prigmented follicular cyst, dermoid cyst
- Verrucous cyst
- Ear pit cyst, pilonidal cyst
Cysts with a non-stratified squamous epithelium
- Hidrocystoma
- Eccrine, appocrine
- Bronchogenic cyst
- Thyroglossal duct cyst
- Branchial cleft cyst
- Cutaneous ciliated cyst
- Median raphe cyst
Cysts without an epithelium
- Mucocele
- Digital mucous cyst
- Ganglion
- Pseudocyst of the auricle
Cyst anatomic origins
- Sebaceous duct: steatocystoma
- Follicular infundibulum: epidermoid cyst, milium, pigmented follicular cyst, vellus hair cyst
- Outer root sheath: tricholemmal cyst
Cysts with a stratified squamous epithelium without a granular layer
tricholemmal cyst or proliferating trochlemmal cyst
Epidermoid Cyst clinical
- Distribution: face, upper trunk, scrotal (multiple –> scrotal calcinosis via dystrophic calcification)
- Morphology: skin coloured-yellowish dermal nodules, central punctum
- Symptoms: asymptomatic, rupture –> pain
- Complications: rarely BCC or SCC development
Epidermoid Cyst histology
- Stratified squamous epithelium with granular layer
- Cystic cavity structure
- Centre filled with laminated keratin, ‘cornflake’, keratinization
- Surrounding: acute or chronic granulomatous inflammation, +/- fibrosis
- Gardner: columns of pilomatricoma-like shadow cells projecting into the cyst cavity
- Verrucal:
- HPV associated
- irregular acanthosis
- HPV-60 type: intracytoplasmic inclusions and vacuolar keratinous changes, eccrine ducts sometimes in the cyst wall
- Verrucous cast type: epidermal cyst with a papillated and/or digitated lining with prominent hypergranulosis and irregular keratohyaline granules
- Cystic structure mimicking molluscum bodies
Epidermoid Cyst Rx
- Simple excision
- Incision and expression of cyst contents and wall –> if you don’t remove it all, it may recur
- Best to excise when not inflamed
- Inflamed –> incision, drainage, may need abx, IL steroids
Epidermoid cyst aetiology
- Most common cutaneous cyst
- Derivation: follicular infundibulum. May be primary or secondary
- Secondary causes:
- Disrupted follicular structures or traumatically implanted epithelium
- Acne vulgaris
- Medications: BRAF-inhibitors (both selective and non-selective)
- Syndromes:
- Gardner: FAP
- Basal cell naevus syndrome
- Disrupted follicular structures or traumatically implanted epithelium
Dilated Pore of Winer - histo, ddx, rx
- Single dilated comedo on the face
- Histo: dilated follicular opening with keratinous debris, lined by squamous epithelium witha. granular layer. Lining is acanthotic with finger-like projections pushing into the surrounding dermis
- Ddx: pilar sheath acanthoma, trichoepithelioma, large pore BCC
- Rx: excision
Milium aetiology
- Derivation: infundibulum of hair follicles or from eccrine ducts
- Aetiology: primary or secondary
- Secondary causes:
- Blistering: PCT, EBA
- Superficial ulceration from trauma or cosmetic procedures
- Steroid induced atrophy
- Follicular MF
- Chronic irritation
- Syndrome:
- oral-facial-digital syndrome type 1: X linked disorder, lethal in males. Milia in neonates with facial and skull malformations, Blaschkoid alopecia, PCKD
- Bazex-Dupre-Christol
- Rombo
- Loeys-Dietz
- Basan
- Brooke-Spiegler
Milium clinical
- Distribution: face, mouth (minor salivary gland ducts or from epithelium entrapped within embryologic fusion plains)
- Bohn nodules: hard palate
- Epstein pearls: gum margins –> newborns, resolve spontaneously
- Milia en plaque: commonly post-auricular, erythematous, oedematous plaque with multiple milia
- Morphology: 1-2 mm, firm, white-yellow, subepidermal papules
- Onset: 40-50% infants, resolve spontaneously within the first 4 weeks of life
Milia en plaque
commonly post-auricular, erythematous, oedematous plaque with multiple milia
Bohn nodules
Milium on the hard palate
Epstein pearls
Milium on the gums
Milium histology
- Small epidermoid cyst with stratified squamous epithelial lining with a granular layer
- Contents: laiminated keratin
Milium treatment
- incising the epidermis over the milium with a needle, scalpel or lancet and expressing the milium
- comedone extractor
- laser ablation and electrodesiccation
- multiple: topical retinoid
Tricholemmal cyst clinical
- clinically indistinguishable from epidermoid cysts
- less common
- 90% located on the scalp
- solitary, multiple, can be inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion
Tricholemmal cyst histology
Trichals are not saikals - pale
- Stratified squamous epithelium, without a granular layer
- Epithelium swollen and pale cells increase in bulk and vertical diameter towards the lumen
- Abrupt keratinization
- Cholesterol clefts
- Scalloped like lining
- Eosinophilic staiing
- perpendicularly oriented bundles of tonofibrils in the lining epithelial cells
- foreign body response may be around the cyst if prior wall rupture has occurred
Tricholemmal cyst rx
- excision
- deliver themselves more easily with incision without rupture –> can tell at the time of excision whether tricholemmal or epidermoid
Proliferating Tricholemmal Cyst clinical
- Distribution: 90% scalp
- Morphology: slow growing nodule on the scalp
- Complications: have a benign fashion, but very rarely metastases or spindle cell carcinoma development
Proliferating Tricholemmal Cyst histology
Proliferating: I worry about SCC
- Stratified squamous lining with no granular layer
- Well circumscribed cyst, 25% have an epidermal connection
- lobular proliferations of squamous cells - often with palisading and some vitreous membrane formation
- Focal cystic areas
- cells undergo abrupt keratinization, and form dense homogenous keratin that fills cystic spaces
- Areas of epidermoid keratinization with formation of horn pearls and foreign body giant cell reaction
- well circumscribed, pushing borders surrounded by compressed collagen
- how its different to an SCC: lack of infiltrative growth into the surrounding stroma and abrupt tricholemmal keratinization
- marked atypia and infiltrative borders suggestive of aggressive behaviour
Proliferating Tricholemmal Cyst rx
surgical excision
Proliferating Epidermoid Cyst clinical
- more commonly in men, 20% in scalp
- dont spread
Proliferating Epidermoid Cyst histology
- stratified squamous with a granular layer
- multilocular cystic spaces containing keratinous material or proteinaceous fluid
- subepidermal cystic tumours with a granular layer
- often connecting to the epidermis
- prolfierating epithelium extends into adjacent stroma, may show squamous eddies
Proliferating Epidermoid Cyst rx
Excision
Vellus Hair cysts clinical
- Morphology: numerous, dome shaped papules
- Distribution: commonly on trunk
- Course: can resolve via transepidermal elimination of cyst products, although most just persis, can become inflamed
- Symptoms: generally asymptomatic
- steatocystomas arise from the sebaceous duct and vellus hair cysts arise from the infundibulum –> overlap can occur