GATA3 expression in primary vulvar Paget disease: a potential pitfall leading to misdiagnosis of pagetoid urothelial intraepithelial neoplasia.

AIMS: GATA3 has been reported as a specific urothelial marker among organs in the pelvic region, and has been classified as highly sensitive and specific for urothelial and breast carcinomas. Our aim was to verify GATA3 expression in extramammary Paget disease, and to determine whether it can be use to differentiate primary vulvar Paget disease from pagetoid urothelial intraepithelial neoplasia (PUIN). We also analysed HER2 protein expression and HER2 gene amplification and their roles as prognostic factors in extramammary Paget disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed GATA3 and HER2 expression in 11 primary vulvar Paget disease cases and two PUIN cases. All cases showed nuclear expression of GATA3. Of 13 cases, five were equivocal for HER2 expression (score 2+) and one was positive (3+). Fluorescence in-situ hybridization results showed amplification in two of these six cases. Both HER2-amplified cases were invasive. CONCLUSION: GATA3 was positive in all extramammary Paget disease cases tested (13 cases), and it has no value for differentiating between primary and secondary vulvar Paget disease from the urological tract. HER2 amplification might confer an aggressive and invasive pattern in primary vulvar Paget disease, as both amplified cases showed an invasive pattern.

Extramammary Paget Disease of the Vulva - Case Report / Relato de Caso: Doença de Paget Extramamária da Vulva

Abstract Extramammary Paget disease (EPD) is a rare malign neoplasm that may affect the vulva and has manifestations common to benign diseases such as itching, pain and eczema. This leads to delay in diagnosis and consequent worse prognosis. The definitive diagnosis is obtained by biopsy of the vulva, which shows Paget cells. The treatment of choice is wide excision with margins, which leads to sequelae, functional and aesthetic. Recurrence is common. This article reports the case of a 48-year-old female patient with history of vulvar itching for the past 2 years, who had been submitted to various treatments for benign pathologies. The patient was biopsied and was diagnosed with extensive EPD, being submitted to vulvectomy. This article aims to draw attention to the need for biopsy of pruritic vulvar lesions that do not respond to usual treatment.

Resumo A doença de Paget extramamária (DPEM) é uma neoplasia maligna incomum que pode acometer a vulva, e que tem manifestações comuns a doenças benignas como prurido, dor e eczema. Isto leva a atraso no diagnóstico e, consequente, piora do prognóstico. O diagnóstico de certeza se dá pela biópsia de vulva que evidencia células de Paget. O tratamento de escolha é a excisão com margens amplas, que leva a sequela funcional e estética. A recidiva é frequente. Este artigo relata o caso de uma paciente do sexo feminino, de 48 anos, com história de prurido vulvar há 2 anos com diversos tratamentos para patologias benignas. A biopsia da paciente confirmou diagnóstico de DPEM extensa sendo submetida a vulvectomia. Este artigo visa chamar a atenção para a necessidade de biópsia das lesões vulvares pruriginosas que não respondem ao tratamento habitual.