Scrotal cancer: deja vu

Carcinoma of the scrotum is a rare disease. Two recent cases are briefly described and the condition reviewed from a historical perspective. Case 1: A 55 year old man on minimal doses of immunosuppressives 10 years after renal transplantation developed 2 squamous cell carcinomas, one on the forehead, the other and larger was a 1.5 cm raised and thickened lesion of the scrotum. Both were excised, and a year later, he has had no recurrences; he continues his immunosuppressive-suppressive therapy. Case 2: A 38 year old man with an 8 year history of slowly progressing Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome, presented with a 1 cm ulcerated slightly pigmented lesion of the scrotum. Excisional biopsy showed this to be Squamous cell carcinoma, not Kaposi's sarcoma as anticipated. He died of Aids, with no recurrence 9 months after excision.