Multiple Tiny Ectopic Sebaceous Glands Discovered Throughout Entire Esophageal Tract

Abstract

A 45-year-old woman complaining of abdominal fullness was referred for endoscopic examination. She was a non-smoker and non-drinker. An endoscopic examination revealed the presence of more than 100 tiny, rounded, elevated, yellowish lesions <0.5 mm in diameter scattered throughout the upper and lower esophagus. Based on the endoscopic examination results, her stomach manifested symptoms of mildly superficial gastritis. Histopathologic examination of the esophagus biopsy specimen revealed that some of the lobules of the cells displayed typical sebaceous differentiation covered by a squamous epithelium. No evidence of inflammatory reaction, hair follicles, or malignancy was found. The patient's blood and serum findings were unremarkable. Our final diagnosis was multiple tiny ectopic sebaceous glands in the esophagus. This is an interesting and rare case of esophageal sebaceous glands distributed throughout the entire esophagus. Because there were no esophageal symptoms or/and eating problems, the patient did not require endoscopic surgery or other treatment. Follow-up examinations were recommended at intervals between 6 months and 1 year. At the 2-year follow-up, an endoscopic examination revealed no change in the size or the number of the tiny ectopic esophageal sebaceous glands.

Ectopic Sebaceous Glands in the Esophagus: Endoscopic Findings over Three Years

“…The apparently low incidence of this condition may be due to the lack of obvious clinical signs and symptoms. Most cases were discovered incidentally by endoscopy during a routine medical examination or at an annual follow-up examination [6]. The lesions in our patient were discovered incidentally during a routine medical examination.…”

“…Recently, several cases diagnosed by endoscopy and biopsy have been reported [5, 6]. The apparently low incidence of this condition may be due to the lack of obvious clinical signs and symptoms.…”

“…There are few reports of these lesions that include detailed follow-up endoscopic findings over several years [5, 6, 7]. Follow-up examinations are recommended at intervals of 6–12 months.…”

“…Ectopic sebaceous glands in the esophagus were first reported in autopsy cases microscopically [3], and the lesions were observed grossly in one autopsy case [4]. Recently, this condition diagnosed by esophageal endoscopy and biopsy has been reported in several living individuals [5, 6]. …”

Sebaceous Gland Metaplasia in the Oesophagus of a Cynomolgus Monkey (Macaca fascicularis)

“…Similarly, to our knowledge, no reports of this type of oesophageal change exist for domestic animals. The first human (1962) and since then only about 25 cases have been described, ranging from a single focus to numerous (more than 100) foci found along the whole length of the oesophagus (Zak and Lawson, 1976;Salgado et al, 1980;Merino et al, 1982;Auld et al, 1987;Hoshihara et al, 1991;Kumagai et al, 1993;Bertoni et al, 1994;Nakada et al, 1995;Radhi, 1995;Nakanishi et al, 1999;Wei et al, 2008;Wang et al, 2009). When visible grossly, oesophageal sebaceous structures are described as yellow, elevated lesions ranging in size from 1 to 5 mm, sometimes resembling xanthomas or xanthelasmas (Hoshihara et al, 1991;Nakanishi et al, 1999;Hirokawa et al, 2003).…”