A rare case of adenoid BCC mimicking trichoepithelioma: Clinical, dermoscopic, and histopathological evaluation

Abstract

The distinction between basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and trichoepithelioma (TE) may be difficult due to close similarities, more so histopathologically than clinically. We present a case of a 66-year-old female presented with a lesion that was clinically and dermoscopically diagnosed as pigmented BCC but had histological features favoring TE in an initial punch biopsy, followed by an excision biopsy which showed features of adenoid BCC; a rare histological variant of BCC, reinforcing the importance of an excision biopsy in cases with high index of clinical suspicion in order to avoid mistreatment.