[Pathogenesis of elastofibroma]

On the occasion of a case report on histiocytoma associated with elastofibroma-like parts on the shoulder, the extreme rarity of elastofibroma was doubted. This thesis was confirmed by post-mortem reports from Turku and Prague as well as by clinical experiences from Japan. Its possible relationship to other subcutaneous tumors rich in collagen and elastin was mentioned, and the abundant production of elastin was discussed as a variation of a one-sided metabolic mistake of the cells producing parenchyma. The symmetric or multiple, but principally the extracutaneous localization of elastofibromas may also direct our attention to developing factors other than traumatic ones, especially those being hereditary or ethnical.