Basal cell carcinoma with metastasis to bone.Report of two cases

Abstract

Two cases of basal cell carcinoma of the head and neck are reported where the tumor metastasized to bone after many local recurrences. The histories of both patients are abstracted and the histologic appearance of portions of the primary tumors is compared to that seen in material gained from biopsies of the metastatic bone lesions. The more recent literature is reviewed. Among approximately 50 reports of basal cell carcinomata with metastases fewer than ten cases of bone metastasis from this tumor are found. The author speculates on the conditions under which distant metastasis might occur.