Giant basal cell carcinoma of the forehead: a case report

Giant basal cell carcinoma (GBCC) is defined as a tumor 5cm or greater in diameter. They present less than 1% of all basal cell carcinomas. We present a case of an 85-year-old male patient with a giant ulcerating tumor of the left forehead (measuring 7x6 cm). Under local anesthesia tumor was surgically excised. No involvement of the underlying periostal or bone structure was noted. Pathohystological exam revealed the giant basal cell carcinoma, with free surgical margins. Giant basal cell carcinomas are rare tumors and are usually result of a long duration and patient neglect. In comparison to the ordinary basal cell carcinoma these tumors have a higher metastatic potential. Surgical resection with negative surgical margin is the best possible treatment option.     

Two cases of nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome

Motivated by the diagnosis and treatment of two cases of nevoid or Goltz-Gorlin syndrome, we have taken a brief look at the literature and present these two cases, which display the four principal features defining this syndrome: multiple basal cell carcinomas, maxillary cysts, skeletal anomalies, and ectopic calcifications. Certain aspects are emphasized, including the association in one of them of basal cell carcinomas with a cystic adenoma or Brooke's tumor, which, although described by other authors, is infrequent.     

Giant cell hepatocellular carcinoma

A terminal case of giant cell hepatocellular carcinoma, subsequent to Hepatitis B-associated macronodular cirrhosis is presented, illustrated and discussed. The uncommon finding of malignant ascites, in itself atypical of hepatocellular carcinoma, with an almost exclusive content of giant cells as the cellular component, was a feature of this unusual variant of hepatocellular carcinoma.     

Nevoid basal cell carcinoma

The use of computer technology is becoming increasingly important in the handling of medical records. The cardiology data system used at The Hospital for Sick Children has greatly simplified the review and analysis of patient records. The methods of capturing data are logical and straightforward and have assisted fellows, residents and students in learning the systematic approach to the diagnosis of heart disease in children. The review of particular defects conducted as a research project has often led to further studies which have made important contributions to the knowledge of heart disease in childhood.     

Histologic study of recurrent basal cell carcinoma

This retrospective study of recurrent basal cell carcinoma suggests the presence of irregularity in the peripheral palisade (IPP), squamous differentiation (SD), and tumor ulceration as histologic criteria for the recurrent tumor and the presence of infiltrates of small lymphocytes (LI) in the tumor as a criterion of tumor-directed host immunocompetence. The presence of either irregularity in the peripheral palisade in greater than 75 percent of the tumor cords or absence of infiltrates of small lymphocytes at the tumor base were each significant at the p less than 0.001 level in characterizing recurrent basal cell carcinoma.     

The many faces of basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma is the most easily cured carcinoma, but because of the many forms it can take, and because it grows so slowly, it can be misdiagnosed or neglected. The author discusses its more common forms and etiologic considerations.     

Hedgehog beyond medulloblastoma and basal cell carcinoma

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is of central importance during embryo development in metazoans and governs a diverse array of processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue patterning. In normal adult physiology, the pathway is implicated in stem cell maintenance, tissue repair and regeneration. However, the pathway's darker side is its involvement in several types of human cancer, to which it confers growth promoting and/or survival capabilities to the cancer cell to varying degrees, and by different mechanisms. The Hh pathway is firmly linked to the etiology of basal cell carcinoma and to at least a subset of medulloblastoma. There is increasing evidence that other sporadic cancers, including those in pancreas, prostate, lung, and breast, could also be dependent on Hh pathway activity. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathway's role in various tumor types, where much of the framework for Hh-dependent malignancies has been elucidated in experimental mouse models. We discuss three different signal transduction models for the pathway's involvement in cancer: i) ligand-independent signaling, ii) ligand-dependent autocrine/juxtacrine signaling, and iii) ligand-dependent paracrine signaling. These different modes of signaling may have implications for future therapeutic interventions aimed at inhibiting the pathway during disease. In addition, crosstalk with other pathways, and indications of non-canonical Hh signaling in cancer cells may further cause complications, or perhaps possibilities, in the treatment regimen. Finally, we review the rapid progress and promising results in the development of small-molecule inhibitors of the Hh pathway.