Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of recurrent basal cell carcinoma in Egyptian patients

Abstract

Background Although recurrence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is uncommon, it may pose a prognostic problem that cannot be fully predicted. Aim The aim was to assess the clinical, histologic, and immunohistochemical features of recurrent BCC among Egyptian patients. Materials and methods A retrospective study that included 18 patients who had recurrent BCC during the period from 2010 to 2015 was carried out. Clinical data and histological features were analyzed, and an immunohistochemical study was carried out for primary and recurrent lesions. Results The study included 11 (61.1%) women and seven (38.9%) men with a mean age of 53±8.3 years. Most of the lesions were located on the scalp (33.3%) and cheeks (27.8%). The mean duration of the lesions was 4.1±1.7 years and the mean size of the lesions was 10.6±3.4 mm. Recurrence time ranged from 13 to 47 months, with a mean of 25.3±9.9 months. Out of 18 cases, only three (16.7%) were surgically excised, whereas 15 (83.3%) were treated by nonsurgical methods. Histological examination of recurrent lesions showed a change in histological type in 38.9%, whereas in 61.1% of cases, it was similar to the primary lesion. Immunostaining showed significant changes with Ki-67, whereas other markers (p53, bcl-2, CD10, and CD34) showed no significant differences between primary and recurrent lesions. Conclusions Our results proposed an increased risk of BCC recurrence after nonsurgical treatment and still surgical treatment is the best therapeutic method associated with low recurrence rates. We believe that increased awareness of clinical, histological, and molecular risk factors help in minimizing recurrence of BCC.

Keywords

• angiogenesis
• basal cell carcinoma
• cd34
• ki-67
• recurrence