A 7 years retrospective review of skin cancers: A University Malaya medical experience
- Author:
Ch’ng CC
;
Lee YY
;
Wong SM
;
Pailoor J
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
basal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, Malaysia
- From:Malaysian Journal of Dermatology
2011;27(-):2-2
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Background: Skin cancer is ranked the ninth commonest cancer among male and tenth among female in Malaysia.
Objective: To determine the pattern of skin cancers and demography of skin cancer sufferers in University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).
Methods: This is a retrospective review of all histo-pathologically confirmed skin cancers in UMMC from 2004 to 2010. Patients with incomplete or missing data were excluded.
Results: A total of 155 patient records were reviewed. The commonest skin cancer was basal cell carcinoma (BCC) (44.5%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (27.1%) and malignant melanoma (MM) (11.6%). The other skin cancers
included dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and cutaneous lymphoma (5.2% each), extramammary Paget’s disease 3.2%
and Kaposi sarcoma 2.6%. A majority (78%) of BCC was of nodulo-ulcerative subtype while 50% of MM was of acral
lentiginous melanoma subtype. BCC had a significantly higher number of patients from the older age group (>60 years old) compared to other skin cancers (p=0.003). SCC had significantly more male patients than other skin cancers (p=0.006). With the exception of MM, a majority of skin cancers were found on the head and neck.
Conclusions: BCC was the commonest skin cancer followed by SCC and MM. Patients with BCC were older with a female preponderance and mainly located on the head and neck. MM was the least common of the three major skin cancers, but has the highest risk of metastasis and mortality.
