A case series of atypical cutaneous malignancies in dermatology out-patient department in a tertiary care centre of eastern India

Abstract

The skin being a dynamic organ with multiple components, lead to malignancies of an extended spectrum. Keratinocytes, melanocytes and even the endothelial cells may turn malignant. Incidence of skin cancers has been on the rise since the last few decades worldwide. The focus has been mainly on the commonly encountered malignancies like the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and melanoma. However, certain atypical skin tumors and certain atypical presentation of the common tumors can be quite challenging clinically. Skin tumors may also be a combination of the typical ones. Malignant cutaneous appendageal tumors are quite rare and vascular tumors like hemangioendothelioma are often a forgotten entity.    We have encountered four interesting atypical malignancies in our outpatient clinic which include a basosquamous carcinoma of the scalp, porocarcinoma of the hand, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the lower limb, and a morpheaform BCC in the neck. Knowledge about the above discussed four cases are required, so that they are not missed.