Clinicopathological profile of subgemmal neurogenous plaques: A 52-year retrospective study of 22 cases.

Background: This study describes the clinical and histopathological profile of 22 subgemmal neurogenous plaques (SNP) through a 52-year retrospective study conducted at an Oral Pathology referral center in the Northeast of Brazil.

Material and methods: Clinical data (age, biological sex, symptoms, clinical presentation, lesion size, duration at diagnosis, growth rate, implantation, and consistency) were retrieved from biopsy records. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides from all selected cases were re-evaluated.

Results: SNPs accounted for 0.12% (n = 22) of all lesions diagnosed at the center. A predominance among female patients was observed (n = 20; 90.9%), with most diagnoses occurring in the fifth to sixth decades of life (mean 57.5 ​ ± 12.19 years). Clinically, the lesions typically presented as slow-growing but painful, reddish papules. Five cases were associated with oral lymphoepithelial cysts. Histologically, common features included spindle cells, subepithelial nerve plexuses, ganglion cells, mast cells, lymphoid tissue, and germinal centers.

Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of recognizing the clinical and histopathological characteristics of SNPs to avoid misdiagnosis as neural tumors.