Two cases and histological observations of erosive adenomatosis of the nipple are presented in detail, and the literature on the subject is reviewed. Erosive adenomatosis is a rare but clearly delineated pathology of the nipple and seems to be essentially benign. Careful clinical and histological examinations with complete investigation of the breast are required for the diagnosis. Nonmutilating curative surgery can be performed.

A 46-year-old female, otherwise healthy, developed erythematous, pseudotumoral nodules, mainly on the hands; biopsies led to the diagnosis of Woringer-Kolopp disease. Anti-anergic chemotherapy with levamisole proved hazardous but, possibly, beneficial. Classification into benign localized, fatal generalized and intermediate disease is briefly commented upon. Differential diagnosis and tumor origin are discussed; while the Merkel cell hypothesis has been recently advanced strong analogies and slight discrepancies with mycosis fungoides advocate the T cell lymphoma theory.

While in general agreement with previous searchers, the authors direct their attention at peculiar or unknown structures such as: a huge phagosome sometimes loaded with a paracristalline rod; an occasional set of parallel microtubules along the reservoir; eventual duplication of the blepharoplast and even of the flagellum. There appear to be some 90 microtubules in the hyaloplasm of Leishmania tropica.