The man behind the eponym: Lauren V. Ackerman and verrucous carcinoma of Ackerman.

In 1948, Lauren V. Ackerman described a neoplasm of the oral mucous membrane, which he thought represented a unique type of squamous cell carcinoma and that is now termed verrucous carcinoma of Ackerman. "Verrucous carcinoma" has also been used as a generic term under which are placed giant condyloma of Buschke-Loewenstein and carcinoma cuniculatum. This report will synopsize the life of Lauren Vedder Ackerman, review the original and subsequent report by Ackerman, and discuss some other reports of oral verrucous carcinoma. Because this review is directed to histopathologists, the histopathology will be emphasized. Other aspects of the neoplasm (eg, clinical picture, incidence, etiopathogenesis, and treatment) will not be discussed, or if so, only briefly. Giant condyloma acuminatum of Buschke-Loewenstein and carcinoma cuniculatum and studies that mention the occurrence of Ackerman's verrucous carcinoma in the pharynx, larynx, and esophagus will be mentioned only in the section on classification.