Histological diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma is not associated with life expectancy in elderly Dutch people: A population-based cohort study

Determining appropriate care at the end of life is challenging and has primarily focused on life threatening diseases. Recently, Linos et al highlighted issues about the management of common, nonfatal conditions such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in people with limited life expectancy (LLE).(1) A prospective cohort study showed that age older than 85 years or the presence of multiple comorbidities did not influence treatment.(2) In two controversial position papers they argued that potential overdiagnosis of an asymptomatic slow growing BCC may do more harm than good, advocating a patient-centred care model. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.