Chalazion: is it so simple? Differential diagnosis with basal cell carcinoma. A series of clinical cases

Relevance. Diagnostic errors in chalazion cases account for up to 6.4%, with 22% of these misdiagnoses corresponding to malignant tumors. This highlights the importance of presenting ambiguous clinical cases to improve clinicians’ diagnostic accuracy. Methods. Biomicroscopy, full-thickness eyelid resection, and histopathological analysis of excised tissues were employed. Clinical case studies. Results. The presented cases illustrate challenges in differentiating chalazion from basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the eyelid. Conclusion The overlapping clinical features of chalazion and BCC may lead to diagnostic errors. Therefore, histopathological examination should be mandatory in 100% of tissue excision cases. Long-term patient follow-up is essential. In diagnostically uncertain scenarios, multidisciplinary consultation with an ophthalmologist and oncologist is recommended to optimize diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes. Key words: chalazion, basal cell carcinoma, differential diagnosis, ophthalmic oncology, clinical case, histopathology, eyelid tumors