Aggressive basal cell carcinoma in young patients: fact or fiction?

It has been suggested that basal cell carcinomas (BCC) arising in younger patients may be of a moreaggressive phenotype than those that present in the older population. The purpose of this study was to investigate this hypothesis by comparing the histological types of BCC in a large cohort of young...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of plastic surgery 2000-07, Vol.53 (5), p.393-396
Main Authors: Milroy, C.J., Horlock, N., Wilson, G.D., Sanders, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Aged
basal cell carcinoma
Biological and medical sciences
Carcinoma, Basal Cell - genetics
Carcinoma, Basal Cell - pathology
Carcinoma, Basal Cell - surgery
Child
Child, Preschool
Dermatology
DNA Repair - genetics
Female
Gene Expression
histological growth pattern
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Invasiveness
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
Neoplasm, Residual - genetics
Neoplasm, Residual - pathology
patient age
Phenotype
recurrence
Skin Neoplasms - genetics
Skin Neoplasms - pathology
Skin Neoplasms - surgery
Tumors of the skin and soft tissue. Premalignant lesions
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Summary:It has been suggested that basal cell carcinomas (BCC) arising in younger patients may be of a moreaggressive phenotype than those that present in the older population. The purpose of this study was to investigate this hypothesis by comparing the histological types of BCC in a large cohort of young and old patients. A total of 271 histological specimens and clinical records were evaluated. A consecutive series of 120 patientsunder 50 years old were compared with a consecutive series of 151 patients over 50 years of age. Tumours were classified according to the accepted definition of aggressive (morphoeic, infiltrative and micronodular) and less aggressive (nodular and superficial) histological growth patterns. Aggressive growth types were found in 35% of patients over 50 and 33% of patients under 50. There was a higher rate of incomplete excision in younger patients but this did not reach significance (16% compared to 9%, P=0.1). This study found that BCC arising in young patients are not histologically different to those found in the older population. Clinically observed aggressive behaviour of BCC in young patients may result from inadequate surgical excision due to cosmesis and diagnostic doubt.
ISSN:0007-1226
1465-3087
DOI:10.1054/bjps.1999.3267