Case of penile white sponge nevus repeatedly treated as genital wart

We describe the case of a 16-year-old boy who attended with an asymptomatic, white and velvety plaque on his penis shaft (figure 1), which had been treated as a genital wart with cryotherapy, electrocautery and cidofovir cream since childhood. Following a biopsy, based on the histological findings, a diagnosis of white sponge nevus (WSN) was made. WSN is a rare autosomal dominant disorder with irregular penetrance and a benign course without treatment.1 It typically affects mucous membranes, particularly the oral cavity, where it can mimic infectious, inflammatory and pre-malignant lesions.2 The whitish appearance on non-keratinised epithelial surfaces is the result of cytokeratin 4 and cytokeratin 13 gene mutations. Genital WSN is most often mistaken for human papilloma virus (HPV)-induced lesions, but the differential diagnoses also include hypertrophic candidiasis, lichen planus and lichen sclerosus.2 Since the ‘spongiotic’ aspect is quite...

Source: Sexually Transmitted Infections - August 22, 2022 Category: Sexual Medicine Authors: Giacalone, S., Boggio, F. L., Marzano, A. V., Cusini, M. Tags: PostScript Source Type: research