[Multiple basal cell carcinomas following radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal cancer]

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a cutaneous, generally primary malignancy, most common among the elderly. We report the case of a patient presenting numerous BCCs several years after radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal cancer and discuss the risk factors for this tumor and the role played by radiation in its genesis.

A 30-year-old woman presented with pigmented facial lesions that had been developing over the past year. Eleven years earlier, she had had an undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (T3N2M0), which was treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and then external radiation therapy. Initial cutaneous examination noted two lesions that were identified as BCC after biopsy. The tumors were excised surgically. Neither clinical nor radiological check up showed signs of basal cell nevus syndrome.

BCC is the most frequent malignant tumor. It is observed mainly among those aged 45-60 years. Disorders that might promote or complicate BCC should be systematically sought in young patients, especially basal cell nevus syndrome. While our patient may have had this syndrome, we found none of the other clinical or radiographic elements often observed with it. The occurrence of BCC within the irradiation area, the multiplicity of lesions, and the sufficient latency period are consistent with radiation-induced tumors. We found no reports in the literature of BCC following radiation treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer, but the occurrence of these tumors in our patient suggests the need for close supervision in such cases.