Recurrent sebaceous gland carcinoma of eyelid previously diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma: case report

Sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC) of the eyelid is a highly malignant neoplasm that arises from the meibomian glands, glands of Zeis, and sebaceous glands of the skin. The characteristics of this disease are high recurrence rate, significant metastatic potential, and notable mortality rate, which are quite different from basal cell carcinoma (BCC). We report the case of a 37-year-old woman with the history of left lower eyelid BCC (diagnosed 9 years ago), who had left parotid lymph nodes metastases and local recurrence twice. The chief complaint during visit was a left upper eyelid swelling mass noted for 3 months. She received salvage ablation surgery later. The final pathologic report is SGC. The diagnosis corresponds to the clinical presentation of this patient at last. The delay between initial examination and final diagnosis in this patient is about 9 years, but operation and concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy were performed after left parotid lymph nodes metastasis was noted. Although there was still local recurrence after concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the patient is still alive without distant metastasis. In this article, we would discuss the differences of the pathologic characters, treatment, and prognosis between SGC and BCC.