What happens if a basal cell carcinoma is left untreated?
The larger the tumour is, the more normal tissue it will have invaded and so more tissue has to be excised. This leaves a bigger “hole” and makes the repair or reconstruction more difficult. On the face particularly around the eyelids, all the tissue is very important so a smaller defect is best for an optimum repair. N.B. As mentioned above, it can spread deeply into the adjacent tissue and invades the orbit and even grows into the brain along the orbit wall if left untreated.
