[Differential diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma of the face: Dermatologist advice may avoid surgery].

INTRODUCTION: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer in France. It is commonly diagnosed in front of a papule or nodule of the face. The surgeon should be able to question the diagnosis of BCC when nodular lesions are untypical, keeping in mind that some differential diagnoses require only medical treatment.

OBSERVATIONS: The authors successively describe three non infectious entities mimicking BCC of the face, requiring purely medical treatment: facial granuloma described by Lever, cutaneous pseudolymphoma, sarcoidosis.

DISCUSSION: In front of a non-typical skin nodule CBC, a dermatological expert advice may be quite helpful. The value of this collaboration is to guide or otherwise to suspend surgical excision.