- 2026, Volume 84 - Number 1
- Published: October 30, 2025
Desmoplastic trichoepithelioma on the face mimicking basal cell carcinoma: a case report and literature review
Isabele M. Saldanha 1 
, Airton K. Motizuki 2, Renata M. Oyama-Okajima 1
1 Dermatology Service of the Federal University of Pará, João de Barros Barreto University Hospital, Belém, Pará, Brazil; 2 Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
Isabele M. Saldanha, Airton K. Motizuki, Renata M. Oyama-Okajima
La información completa de afiliaciones y autor de correspondencia está disponible en la versión original en PDF.
*Correspondence: Isabele M. Saldanha. Email: isabelemartinsaldanha@gmail.com
Abstract
Desmoplastic trichoepithelioma is a rare benign cutaneous neoplasm that differentiates toward germinative cells of the hair follicle. It can be classified as familial multiple trichoepithelioma, solitary, and desmoplastic, the latter being a rare variant with low incidence and clinical features resembling basal cell carcinoma. We report the case of a 54-year-old female patient who presented with a brownish plaque exhibiting areas of dark pigmentation, an irregular outline, a pearly sheen, and surface telangiectasias in the right paranasal region. Complementary studies, including histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses, were performed to establish the definitive diagnosis. Furthermore, this cutaneous lesion displays both clinical and histopathological characteristics that complicate differentiation between benign and malignant tumors, making immunohistochemistry essential to confirm the desmoplastic variant of trichoepithelioma.
