Eye
Eyelid
Other tumors
Basal cell carcinoma-eyelid
Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.
Topic Completed: 1 February 2014
Minor changes: 18 December 2020
Copyright: 2004-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Basal cell carcinoma [title] eyelid [title]
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Case reports | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Pernick N. Basal cell carcinoma-eyelid. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/eyeeyelidbasalcellcarcinoma.html. Accessed January 22nd, 2021.
Definition / general
- Very common
- 90% of eyelid malignancies
- Probably secondary to sunlight
- Rarely invades orbit or nose
- Arises from cutaneous surface of eyelid (usually lower lid and medial canthus), only rarely from conjunctiva
- Frozen section review of margins is helpful in reducing recurrence
- Excision is important to preserve vision, since tumors may prevent proper eyelid closure and cause corneal exposure and ulceration
Case reports
- 34 year old woman with meningeal carcinomatosis due to basal cell carcinoma (Hum Pathol 1985;16:530)
Gross description
- Ulcerated, pigmented, superficial or sclerosing
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Subtypes:
- Nodular and nodular-ulcerative (anastomosing nests and cords of proliferative epidermal basal cells with minimal cytoplasm, dark nuclei and nuclear palisading at periphery)
- Cystic (central necrosis with cystic spaces)
- Multicentric
- Morphea (infiltrates into dermis as branching cords of cells within a dense stroma; margins are difficult to assess clinically)
Microscopic (histologic) images
AFIP images
with a cribriform pattern
and marginal palisading
of basaloid cells
islands of squamous
cell differentiation
within a basaloid tumor
Morphea type in patient with heritable retinoblastoma: atrophic epidermis overlies irregular clusters of infiltrative basaloid cells
lobules of neoplastic
basaloid cells
Differential diagnosis
