Basosquamous Carcinoma: Shedding Light on a Rare Malignancy
Posted: Monday, March 8, 2021
A retrospective analysis published in Scientific Reports contains reportedly the largest cohort of patients with basosquamous carcinoma, a rare cutaneous non-melanoma neoplasm. With 181 cases of basosquamous carcinoma identified, Aleksandra Lesiak, MD, PhD, of the Medical University of Łódź, Poland, and colleagues detailed the anatomic distribution and other clinical and epidemiologic factors of this uncommon malignancy in comparison with basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas.
“In contrast to previous data, the present study has shown that basosquamous cell carcinomas seem less aggressive and less likely to recur or metastasize,” explained the authors. “However, basosquamous carcinoma tends to develop subsequent primary skin cancer more often than other types of non-melanoma skin cancer.”
This analysis included 181 histopathologically confirmed basosquamous carcinoma cases in 168 patients between 1999 and 2019 at 7 sites in Poland. Basosquamous carcinoma comprised 2.1% of all non-melanoma skin cancer cases recorded in a selected cohort of patients from the study sites.
The mean age of patients differed for various non-melanoma skin cancer types. Patients with low-risk basal cell carcinoma were significantly younger than patients with basosquamous carcinoma (68.7 vs. 72.2 years old). In contrast, patients with squamous cell carcinoma tended to be older than those with basosquamous carcinoma (P < .05).
Multiple carcinomas were diagnosed in 68 patients with basosquamous carcinoma (40%), a significantly higher rate compared with squamous cell (26%) and basal cell carcinomas (23%). In most cases (n = 149), basosquamous cell carcinoma was located on the face, especially on the nose (44% for men, 42% for women). Other common locations on the face included the cheek, eye area, and earlobe. Basosquamous carcinoma was found on the face more frequently than other types of non-melanoma skin cancer (P < .05).
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
