Basal cell carcinoma simulating eczematous dermatitis

Superficial basal cell carcinoma typically presents as an erythematous, scaling, mildly infiltrated patch, which may have a "pearly" border. Because these lesions share some of the clinical features of dermatitis, they are occasionally misdiagnosed for many years. We report a case of basal cell carcinoma of thirteen years' duration that presented clinically as eczematous dermatitis. We believe that this reaffirms the importance of histologic examination of longstanding skin lesions that fail to respond to standard therapy.