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 long-standing skin lesions that fail to respond to standard therapy.