Verrucous lesions of the female genitalia. II. Verrucous carcinoma.

Verrucous carcinoma is a variant of squamous cell carcinoma that often presents as a large cauliflower-like lesion with locally destructive growth. A high index of suspicion on the part of the clinician and pathologist is needed for an accurate diagnosis since the pathologic findings may be benign on an individual cell basis or may even resemble those of a condyloma. Deep biopsy that includes the base of the lesion is needed for accurate histologic diagnosis, and the pathologist should be aware of the aggressive nature of the lesion. The treatment of choice is surgical, with wide local excision being sufficient in most cases. Radiotherapy often fails to eradicate the lesion and may even cause it to become more anaplastic.