Basal-Cell Cancer in Children and Young Adults

THE spontaneous occurrence of basal-cell carcinoma unrelated to a xeroderma pigmentosa1 , 2 or to exposure to actinic or ionizing radiation is rare in the teens and unusual in the twenties. In spite of published reports3 4 5 of the occurrence of this disease at an early age, the diagnosis may be considered unlikely or overlooked. A recent experience with a delay in diagnosis stimulated a review of records of patients under thirty years of age with a proved diagnosis of basal-cell cancer. An analysis of the age at onset, the existence of pre-existing lesions and the course of the disease is the basis . . .