gms | German Medical Science

Background: Basosquamous carcinoma is a rare malignancy, with specific histopathological features of both basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. The incidence rate is 1-2% of all carcinomas of the skin [Ref. 1]. Though the behaviour differs substantially from basal cell carcinoma and it is a neoplasma with high potential risk for distant metastatic spread there is no uniform definition for the surgical management.

Patients: We describe eight cases of a basosquamous carcinoma that were treated between 1996-2004 at the University of Essen.

Seven carcinomas were located on the ear, one was a basosquamous carcinoma on the forehead. All patients were male with an median age of 71,3 years. No patient had regional lymph node metastasis, T-category was in seven patients T1 in one patient T2.

Therapie was a partial removal of the pinna in four of the cases, two were treated by total removal of the auricle, one patient was treated by partial removal of the auricle with superficial parotidectomy and ipsilateral neck dissection. In the case of the carcinoma on the forehead therapie was local excision.

The median follow up was 45 month. One patient had a local recurrence.

Discussion: Basosquamous carcinoma is a rare aggressive skin tumour. It is important to distinguish this carcinoma from basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma because of its greater propensity to metastasize to distant sites (up to 7,4%) [Ref. 2]. It should be accepted as a clinical entity with a significant occurrence rate among carcinomas of the skin. Therapy should be an individual concept analogous to the therapie of squamous cell carcinoma with long term follow up [Ref. 3].