A case series of 15 histopathologic specimens of condyloma lata (secondary syphilis) evaluated for consistent diagnostic features on routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain, without requiring special stains or clinical context.
All 15 cases shared four reproducible histopathologic features: pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, dense or lichenoid lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, prominent neutrophilic exocytosis in eroded epithelium, and small spongiotic vesicles in the upper epidermis — forming a reliable diagnostic pattern on H&E alone.
Small case series (n=15) limits generalizability; no control group or comparison with histologic mimics; unclear whether cases spanned diverse anatomic sites or patient populations.
When a biopsy shows pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia with a lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, neutrophilic exocytosis, and spongiotic vesicles, strongly consider condyloma lata — even without clinical history — to avoid misdiagnosis as carcinoma. Pathologists can confidently flag this pattern on routine H&E stain and prompt syphilis serologic testing.
