What's in a line?

Aconsultant dermatologist, however, noted a 30×5mmcurvilinear area on the left lower orbital rim, strikingly visible as a thin line. The patient reported this lesion as asymptomatic and slowgrowing. Subsequent biopsies and clinicopathological correlation showed the lesion to be a mixed superficial/nodulocystic basal cell carcinoma, and the patient was referred for Mohs micrographic surgery. As with all basal cell carcinomas, sun exposure is the main risk factor for development; unlike classic basal cell carcinoma, however, linear ones tend to occur in natural skin creases.1 This rare morphological basal cell carcinoma variant is probably under-recognised and should be suspected if a patient presents with a slow growing linear lesion in a skin crease.