Ectopic sebaceous glands are found very rarely in the esophagus; heretofore, several cases have been reported. The sebaceous gland is originally a source of an endodermal origin; however, there have been controversies regarding whether the origin of the esophageal ectopic sebaceous gland is ectodermal or endodermal. Ectopic sebaceous glands of the esophagus usually do not cause symptoms; thus, they are often found incidentally on endoscopy for routine health screening. Endoscopic findings are characterized by single or multiple yellow patches or nodular lesions of various sizes, sometimes with small central openings. We report two cases of esophageal ectopic sebaceous glands found incidentally during endoscopy with magnifying endoscopic findings. The lesions were in the mid-esophagus and lower esophagus, respectively, and both endoscopic findings were similar as multiple yellowish patches or plaques. Magnifying endoscopy revealed the openings of the excretory ducts surrounded by circular microvessels in both cases.

Ectopic sebaceous glands in the esophagus have rarely been reported and, thus, represent an obscure medical condition. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence rate and clinical characteristics of this lesion in an asymptomatic population. We prospectively enrolled health screen examinees who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy for gastric cancer screening. An esophageal biopsy was performed in the cases in which esophageal ectopic sebaceous glands were suspected. The general characteristics of the examinees were analyzed based on their medical records. A total of 9989 examinees were enrolled, and five examinees were diagnosed with esophageal ectopic sebaceous glands between December 2012 and June 2014. The endoscopic findings of the esophageal ectopic sebaceous glands indicated multiple yellowish patches or papules, which varied in size. The histopathological findings indicated several lobulated sebaceous glands in the squamous epithelium with inflammatory infiltration. The follow-up endoscopic findings indicated that there was no grossly discernible change. In conclusion, esophageal ectopic sebaceous glands are present in 0.05% of asymptomatic subjects. This lesion is thought to be benign and is not related to clinical symptoms. Therefore, esophageal ectopic sebaceous glands do not require further treatment or follow-up, which makes endoscopists free from active efforts for differential diagnosis with other malignant diseases.

Benign esophageal lesions have a wide spectrum of clinical and pathologic features. Understanding the endoscopic and pathologic features of esophageal lesions is essential for their detection, differential diagnosis, and management. The purpose of this review is to provide updated features that may help physicians to appropriately manage these esophageal lesions. The endoscopic features of 2997 patients are reviewed. In epithelial lesions, the frequency of occurrence was in the following order: glycogenic acanthosis, heterotopic gastric mucosa, squamous papilloma, hyperplastic polyp, ectopic sebaceous gland and xanthoma. In subepithelial lesions, the order was as follows: hemangioma, leiomyoma, dysphagia aortica and granular cell tumor. Most benign esophageal lesions can be diagnosed according to their endoscopic appearance and findings on routine biopsy, and submucosal lesions, by endoscopic resection. Management is generally based upon the confidence of diagnosis and whether the lesion causes symptoms. We suggest endoscopic resection of all granular cell tumors and squamous papillomas because, while rare, these lesions have malignant potential. Dysphagia aortica should be considered in the differential diagnosis of dysphagia in the elderly.

Xanthoma is an uncommon nonneoplastic lesion resulting from the accumulation of histiocytes. It predominantly shows cutaneous manifestations associated with dyslipidemia. However, xanthoma of the esophagus is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, only 14 cases have been reported thus far. The clinical significance of this lesion has not been established. However, this lesion should be distinguished grossly from ectopic sebaceous glands and small subepithelial tumors such as carcinoid and granular cell tumor. Moreover, signet ring cell carcinoma, which contains round cells with abundant cytoplasm and has similar histologic features to xanthoma, should be distinguished microscopically.

Sebaceous neoplasms have long been a source of confusion to dermatologists and pathologists alike. Disagreements regarding nomenclature, classification, and management have been longstanding. Sebaceous lesions represent a broad spectrum of interesting entities that range from hamartomas, hyperplasias, and benign tumors to highly malignant neoplasms. This article discusses the clinical and pathologic features of sebaceous hyperplasia, nevus sebaceous of Jadassohn, sebaceous adenoma, seboacanthoma, sebaceous epithelioma, sebaceoma, mantleoma, basal cell carcinoma with sebaceous differentiation, sebomatricoma (sebomatrixoma), and sebaceous carcinoma. Controversies regarding these lesions will be explored, and any relationship with Muir-Torre syndrome will be discussed.

Ectopic sebaceous glands have been detected in many tissues of ectodermal origin, but their presence in the esophagus remain, until now, a very rare anomaly. We report two new cases diagnosed by endoscopic biopsy.

Sebaceous tumours include hyperplasia, adenoma, sebaceoma and carcinoma. Importantly, the latter three are potential markers of Torre-Muir syndrome; the hereditary association of sebaceous neoplasia and internal malignancy, most commonly colorectal carcinoma. The diagnostic features, differential diagnosis, molecular diagnostics and recent advances in pathogenesis of this rare group of tumours are discussed along with Torre-Muir syndrome and recommendations for screening for this important association.