A 13-Year Retrospective Study of Basal Cell Carcinoma in a Canadian Dermatology Practice: A Comparison Between Anatomical Location and Histopathologic Subtypes.

Abstract

It is unknown whether the histologic subtypes of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) arise from a common progenitor cell or whether other factors play a role in their development. To investigate the relationship between the different BCC histopathologic subtypes and anatomical distribution of BCCs in a Canadian dermatology practice. The charts of all patients diagnosed with BCC between 1993 and 2005 from a single private dermatology practice in Vancouver, Canada, were reviewed. Descriptive data analysis was undertaken to look at the distribution of histologic subtypes based on age, gender, and anatomical location. Nodular BCCs accounted for 58% of all tumors. Sixty-six percent of these were situated on the head/neck (odds ratio [OR] = 3.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1-4.3, P < .0001). Infiltrative (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.5-4.1, P = .0003) and superficial BCCs were more common in women (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 2.5-5.7, P < .0001), affected the trunk (OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 2.1-4.9, P < .0001), and appeared in younger individuals (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.2-2.7, P = .004). Our results show a preference of distinct BCC subtypes for certain anatomical locations.