Mohs' surgery as an approach to treatment of multiple skin cancer in rhinophyma.

BACKGROUND: Skin cancer arising within a rhinophyma is rare, less than would be expected from the coexisting chronic active inflammatory process. In rhinophyma, multiple coexisting tumours of different histologic types present an unusual challenge and have never been described in the literature.

OBJECTIVE: The treatment approach to multiple tumours occurring in rhinophyma, utilizing Mohs' surgery, is reported and discussed.

PATIENT: The case of a 64-year-old farmer with basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basosquamous carcinoma occurring in the setting of longstanding rhinophyma is described.

CONCLUSION: Skin cancer, especially basal and squamous cell carcinoma, diagnosed simultaneously in a rhinophyma creates a challenge; the enlarged, inflamed, and hypertrophied tissue masks their margins. In our opinion, Mohs' micrographic surgery is the treatment of choice and should be primarily considered in view of the malignant potential of these tumours, as is shown by the substantial tumour extension in the case described.