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Aberrant mammary tissue Nephrourinary malformation Polythelia Carlo Enrico Urbani, MD, Viale Pisa, 18, I-20146 Milan (Italy) In our previous survey, we discussed the clinicoepidemiological features regarding familial aberrant mammary tissue (AMT) by investigating 18 pedigrees out of a population of 156 adult Caucasian subjects [1], Among the main questions concerning familial AMT we also briefly debated the problem about its association with kidney and urinary tract malformations (KUTM). Then, we concluded that paper with the following words: ‘However, in opposition to the sporadic forms, familial AMT, in our experience, seems to be unrelated to an increasing frequency of this association’ [1]. During the past 15 months we have observed and extensively studied 10 further pedigrees – recorded, as previously specified [1 J, by using a questionnaire and, when available, by direct examination of family members (doubtful cases were not included) – in order to further investigate the association between familial AMT and KUTM. The instrumental investigations (complete abdominal and renal ultrasound) and the laboratory tests (blood examinations, urinalysis and cultures) invariably excluded the evidence of clinically overt or occult renal anomalies in all this second series of 10 patients. Therefore, in 28 cases of familial AMT that we have examined on the whole, no KUTM has been demonstrated. Our results agree with those of Bortz et al. [ 2 ] who did not disclose any association between familial polythelia and renal anomalies by investigating, however, only one family of 4 (parents and 2 sons) affected with a left-sided supernumerary nipple. Conversely, in another report by Goedert et al. [3], 2 patients of 6 showed an overlap between familial polythelia, kidney malformations and renal adeno-carcinoma. Similarly, Toumbis-Ioannou and Cohen [41 described 3 siblings (2 sisters and 1 brother) affected with left-sided polythelia and polymastia; the younger of them had also a concomitant ectopic right kidney [4]. To the best of our knowledge, in the literature there are no other studies dealing with this specific issue. The lack of evidence of KUTM we have also observed in this second series of familial AMT could reflect the presence of some genetic factors involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms of the mammore-nal association. The male-to-male pattern of inheritance recorded in about 75% of them [1, 5] could support the existence of a peculiar mode of inheritance within familial AMT.