Vulvair basaalcelcarcinoom met destructieve gevolgen

Background

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. Generally, the prognosis is relatively good and curative surgical treatment is accomplished in the great majority of patients.

Case description

Here we report a case that illustrates the natural course of a vulvar basal cell carcinoma. It concerns an 80-year-old woman who was diagnosed with a so-called ‘giant’ vulvar basal cell carcinoma causing severe destruction of the anogenital anatomy. At the time of diagnosis, haematogenous metastases were strongly suspected and curative therapy was not possible.

Conclusion

This case description illustrates that a basal cell carcinoma can transform into a ‘giant’ basal cell carcinoma if it is left untreated for many years. ‘Giant’ basal cell carcinomas carry a significantly higher risk of metastases than basal cell tumours smaller than 5 cm. In addition, ‘giant’ basal cell carcinoma is associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates.

Conflict of interest: none declared. Financial support: none declared.