[Spinocellular cancer at the site of chronic discoid lupus erythematosus]

A case of squamous cell carcinoma is presented that developed within a tense, fibrotic scar caused by chronic discoid lupus erythematosus. The carcinoma appeared in a woman of 60 years of age who has had chronic discoid lupus erythematosus on the scalp for 30 years. According to the literature, the frequency of this type of malignant transformation is estimated to be within the same range as the incidence of squamous cell carcinomas arising within tense, fibrotic scars, that is ranging between 0.1% and 2.6%. Therefore, no additional carcinoma-promoting factors of different origin specific for chronic discoid lupus erythematosus could be found.