Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Scalp with Lung, Bone and Lymph Node Metastasis in a Korean Woman / 대한피부과학회지

Metastatic basal cell carcinoma (MBCC) is very rare with incidences estimated to range from 0.0028% to 0.5% in the Caucasian population. The incidence of basal cell carcinoma is known to be much lower in Asian populations including Koreans. We present a rare case of metastatic BCC in a Korean woman who showed lymph node, lung and bone metastasis, with a review of the MBCC cases reported in the Korean literature.

Pulmonary Metastasis of Basal Cell Carcinoma

Although basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer, it rarely metastasizes. Metastatic basal cell carcinoma may, therefore, initially elude diagnosis and management. We describe the case of a patient with a metastatic basal cell carcinoma present in the lungs. The differential diagnosis of suspected metastatic lesions should include metastases from a cutaneous basal cell carcinoma, in addition to those from more commonly metastasizing carcinomas, especially in patients with a history of a large basal cell carcinoma that has involved the head and neck regions, and was refractory to treatment.

A Case of Metastatic Basal Cell Carcinoma Occured After Radiation Therapy / 대한피부과학회지

Basal cell epithelioma is a common neoplasm that rarely metastasizes. The majority of metastatic BCE originates from chronic large, ulcerated tumors which have been refractory to several modalities of therapy. It usually metastasizes to regional lymph nodes, lung, bone, skin and liuer but any other organs may b~e also involved. We report a case of metastatic basal cell carcinoma in a 73-year-old male who had a large ulcerated tumor mass on the left orbital and periorbital area for 13 years. He received radiation therapy 4 years ago, which seemed to cause exaggeration of the ulcerative mass ensuing left side eyeball destruction. About 1 year ago, he first noticed an 1 x 1cm sized hard palpable mass on the left side of neck. Cervicil CT shows 1 x 1cm sized central necrotic tumor mass on the left cervical lymph node. Biopsy specimens taken from the left periorbital area and the left cervical mass revealed typical histopathologic findings of the basal cell carcinoma. The diagnosis of metastatic basal cell carcinoma wa,, finally made on clinical, radiological and histopathological findings. The occurence of MBCC has been reported rarely in Korean literature, so we report, this case of the MBCC of cervical lymph node after radiation therapy.