title: Basal cell carcinoma arising in a cleft lip repair scar.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A case of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) developing in the repair scar of a cleft lip is presented.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Primary BCCs arising in surgical scars are very rare and no known reported cases exist of a BCC developing in a surgically repaired cleft lip scar.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 69-year-old white man presented with a 5 mm primary BCC on his upper lip at the site of his cleft lip repair scar. The diagnosis was made by a tangential biopsy that showed an ulcerated BCC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Review of the medical literature indicates that a scar may be an independent risk factor for developing BCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BCC may rarely arise in a cleft lip repair scar.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Dermatology, Galveston, Texas 77555-0783, USA.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000150:complications*; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male