Mixed (nodular and morpheic) upper eyelid basal cell carcinoma with orbital invasion - histological and clinical...

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of cancer located in the periocular area. We will present the clinical case of a 63-year-old male patient who was admitted to the 2nd Clinic of Neurosurgery, "Prof. Dr. Nicolae Oblu" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Iaşi, Romania, for an ulcerated tumor of about 0.8×0.7 cm in diameter with rolled edges and central necrosis in the upper eyelid with orbital invasion. According to the patient's personal history, he also underwent Cortisone treatment for dermatomyositis. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed behind the cutaneous flap, a lesion with 15∕38∕19 mm anteroposterior (AP)∕transverse (T)∕craniocaudal (CC) diameters. The surgeons made the excision of the tumor together with the eyelid remnants, and the left orbit exenteration defect. The histopathological exam of the surgical samples revealed an ulcerated epithelial tumor having its origin in the eyelid epidermis and invading all the thickness of the eyelid toward the palpebral conjunctiva, but also the orbital tissue. Immunohistochemical studies showed positive staining for cytokeratin (CK) AE1∕AE3, CK5∕6, and CK17, but not for CK7. The Ki-67 labeling index was 12%, suggesting a moderate proliferative activity. The final pathological diagnosis was mixed (nodular and morpheic) eyelid BCC infiltrative into the orbital tissue. Although BCC of the upper eyelid is a rare cancer and generally has a low recurrence risk, in the case of a patient undergoing Cortisone treatment for an autoimmune disease, the tumor may grow more rapidly by invading the neighboring tissues including orbit.