Devastating effect of untreated facial squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Skin cancer develops primarily on areas of sun-exposed skin and can typically be treated if caught early. Here, we present a case of a 57-year-old man who presented with an extremely large facial squamous cell carcinoma with resulting perineural invasion and metastasis to parotid lymph nodes because he was unable to obtain timely treatment.

Keywords: Skin cancer; squamous cell carcinoma.

Figure 1.

Erythematous, ulcerated lesion with purulent discharge and an irregular border at the right temple and a right ear antihelix lesion.

Figure 2.

(a) Invasive SCC arranged in irregular nests with keratin pearls in the nest center and stroma that showed desmoplasia. (b) High-power view of the marked field in part a demonstrated the tumor cells with moderate nuclear pleomorphism, hyperchromatic nuclei, occasional prominent nucleoli, dense cytoplasm, and intercellular bridging. (c) The tumor displayed peri- and intraneural invasion involving a larger nerve bundle with an intraneural tumor nest (arrow). (d) There was metastasis into an intraparotid lymph node with tumor nests inside the lymph node (white arrow) and extranodal extension (black arrow). Parotid acini were seen at the right side of the tissue.