CLINICOPATHOLOGIC STUDY OF BASAL CELL CARCINOMA: A SINGLE-CENTRE RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm in fair-skinned individuals and accounts for about two-thirds of all skin cancers in Caucasians. BCC rarely metastasizes or causes death, but it can result in extensive morbidity through local invasion and tissue destruction. Objective: To evaluate the clinicopathologic features of basal cell carcinoma in Egyptian population. Patients and methods: Our study included 80 patients with BCCs from January 2015 to December 2019. A retrospective analysis of baseline clinical and histopathological data was for all subjects incorporated in the study. Data needed for the study were obtained from the case files. Patients were histologically diagnosed at Dermatopathology unit of Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Al-Hussein University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Results: The present study showed that the clinical types of BCC of the involved patients were 41 lesions (39%) of ulcerative type, 39 lesions (37.1%) of nodular non pigmented type, 13 lesions (12.4%) of nodular pigmented type, 9 lesions (8.6%) of superficial type, and 3 lesions (2.9%) of advanced type. As regards the histological subtypes, 52 lesions (49.5%) were nodular, 11 lesions (15.9%) were pigmented, 9 lesions (8.6%) were adenoid, 9 lesions (8.6%) were superficial, 8 lesions (7.67%) were infiltrative, 7 lesions (6.7%) were micro-nodular, 6 lesions (5.7%) were nodulo-cystic and 3 lesions (4.3%) were baso-squamous. Conclusion: Based on our findings, BCC was strongly associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiations. Tumors developed mainly on the sun-exposed skin of elderly individuals. Nodular BCC was the most common clinical and histological subtype.