Cutaneous basal cell carcinoma of vulva

Eleven cases of basal cell carcinoma of the vulvar skin are reported. There was fairly close correlation between the histologic type and the gross appearance of the lesion. The average age of the patients was 59 years, and the presenting complaint was usually that of a nodule with associated irritation or pruritus. All patients were treated surgically and none have had recurrent or metastatic disease; six patients have been followed for 12 to 25 years. The treatment of choice is wide local excision. One tumor was of particular interest in that it represented a carcinomatous change in a pre-existing premalignant fibroepithelial tumor. Basal cell carcinoma of the skin must be distinguished from adenoid cystic (basal cell) carcinoma of vestibular glands, which is a more aggressive neoplasm and which metastasizes by the lymphatic and blood vascular systems.