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Horrifying basal cell carcinoma: A study of 33 cases and a comparison with 435 non‐horror cases and a report on four metastatic cases
Author(s) -
Jackson Robert,
Adams Rowan H.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.2930050505
Subject(s) - basal cell carcinoma , medicine , basal (medicine) , basal cell , etiology , radiation therapy , cancer , carcinoma , pathology , insulin
Thirty‐three horror basal cell carcinomas (18 large, six destructive, five locally uncontrollable, and four metastatic) were studied in detail. In comparison with a series of non‐horror cases, it was found that there were more horror cases in men and that the age of onset of horror tumors was earlier. The anatomical site was the same. Basic etiological factors included habitual sun exposure in 13, mustard gas burns in two, and one each of radioermatitis, trivalent arsenic ingestion and naevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. Fifteen had no obvious cause. It could not be shown that initial treatment with radiotherapy caused any change in the biological nature of the cancer. In 17 cases no medical treatment was sought until after the cancer had been present for over five years. It is concluded that these rare cancers, histologically indistinguishable from the ordinary basal cell carcinoma, are, from their onset, either biologically more aggressive or occur in patients with a lower tumor host resistance. Unfortunately apart from their bizarre biological behavior, we do not have any means of distinguishing them at their onset from the usual basal cell carcinoma.