Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 expression in scalp basal cell carcinomas: does it differ from the facial basal cell carcinomas location?

BackgroundScalp basal cell carcinomas (sBCC) exhibit greater aggressiveness than facial BCC (fBCC), leading to a poorer prognosis. Investigating the involvement of trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP2) in sBCC could provide valuable insights into its pathogenesis and potentially uncover novel therapeutic avenues for managing challenging sBCC cases.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the expression of TROP2 in sBCC versus fBCC to enhance the understanding of sBCC and elucidate the role of TROP2 in BCC progression.MethodsThis comparative cross-sectional study assessed TROP2 immunohistochemical expression in sBCC versus fBCC lesions. Mean expression scores, determined through ImageJ analysis based on area percentage, were compared between the two groups. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between TROP2 expression and clinicopathological criteria in both sBCC and fBCC.ResultsThe study included 40 cases of BCC, with 19 (47.5%) allocated to sBCC and 21 (52.5%) to fBCC. Scalp BCC cases demonstrated significantly lower age, larger tumor size, and a higher proportion of females than fBCC cases. TROP2 expression was significantly higher in sBCC than in fBCC. TROP2 expression positively correlated with aggressive histology in both groups. Histological type emerged as an independent factor influencing TROP2 expression at both anatomical sites, while tumor size independently affected TROP2 expression, specifically in sBCC cases.ConclusionsBCC exhibits distinctive clinicopathological features compared with fBCC. The higher TROP2 expression in sBCC may account for its documented aggressive nature compared with fBCC. Anti-TROP2 targeted therapy might have a promising role in treating challenging sBCC cases and merits further investigation.