Basal cell carcinoma

What it means

The presence of a basal cell carcinoma of the skin.

A basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer which rarely metastasizes, but is still considered malignant because it can cause significant destruction and disfigurement by invading surrounding tissues. In 80 percent of all cases, basal cell cancers are found on the head and neck or on other sun-exposed areas of the body. Apart from sporadic basal cell carcinoma, there are hereditary conditions such as the basal cell nevus syndrome where patients develop multiple basal cell carcinomas throughout life.

Rare diseases that can present with this26

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions, and Orphanet separately records 6 diseases where this sign is specifically absent. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Basal cell carcinomas · Basal cell epithelioma · Basal cell nevus · Basalioma