Hypertrophic scarring as a complication of fluorouracil therapy.

Scarring is an uncommon accompaniment to fluorouracil therapy of superficial erythematous basal cell carcinoma, 1 When scarring occurs, it typically appears as mild atrophy. 2 We could find no previous reports of hypertrophic scarring complicating fluorouracil therapy of superficial erythematous basal cell carcinoma, and present the following case. Report of a Case A 42-year-old man initially came to the Dermatology Clinic, University of California Medical Center, San Diego, in June 1978 with an 18-month history of a skin lesion on the left side of the upper part of the back. There was no history of previous trauma, skin cancer, or arsenic or x-ray exposure. The patient had sporadically treated the lesion with tolnaftate cream without response. Physical examination revealed a 2.5 × 2.0-cm erythematous, slightly raised plaque with fine scaling in the above site (Fig 1). An examination for fungi using potassium hydroxide was negative. A tentative diagnosis of nummular