Glycogenic acanthosis on mouth clinically present as white plaque

Abstract

ABSTRACT Glycogenic acanthosis is a benign condition, commonly observed during endoscopic procedures in older patients, which present as slightly elevated whitish plaques often on the lower third of the oesophagus. Microscopically, glycogenic acanthosis is composed of hyperplastic squamous epithelium with intracytoplasmic glycogen deposits. The extraoesophageal glycogenic acanthosis is extremely rare, with only three case reports in the English-language literature. We report a white lesion showing glycogenic acanthosis-like features located on the left posterolateral border of the tongue, affecting a 56-year-old male patient. The medical history was non-contributory and the patient did not show any lesions during endoscopic examination of the oesophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum. Glycogenic acanthosis is a benign condition, which should be included in the differential diagnosis when assessing oral white lesions. It is important also to recognize this benign condition early and rule out the possibility of other more severe diseases, but further studies were necessary for better define their potential for persistence or recurrence, as observed in the current case.