ABSTRACT
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin is generally characterised by a favourable clinical outcome. The slow and mostly local character of growth helps in its early recognition, thus the vast majority of cases are diagnosed in the early phase of disease. However, in cases of long-term neglect of clinical symptoms, certain cancers may reach huge proportions and may significantly destroy surrounding tissue. BCCs larger than 5 cm are called giant BCCs. The authors of the article present a case report of woman suffering from a giant BCC of the head with a history of 15 years of lasting growth, during which she had refused a medical examination. Finally, she was forced to go into hospital due to episodes of unconsciousness and convulsions. Clinical investigations revealed a huge ulcerating tumour in the fronto-parietal region infiltrating the skull and penetrating into the cranial cavity with compression of the brain. A surgical extirpation of the tumor-affected soft tissue and the calva was performed with plastic reconstruction of dura mater and skin. Microscopic examination of biopsy specimens confirmed a diagnosis of mixed BCC with nodular, infiltrative and metatypical features, which had completely infiltrated calva and dura mater. It was not possible to surgically remove a part of the tumour-affected bones of the left orbita, thus the patient is going to undergo local radiotherapy. This case report emphasizes the fact that BCC, in spite of its usually "benign" biological behaviour, should never be underestimated because it may progress to the advanced stage of the disease, for which treatment is much more difficult with a larger negative impact and a significantly worse prognosis for the patient.
