Epidemiology of Basal Cell Carcinoma – Observations of One Department

Abstract

Abstract Introduction. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common malignant skin cancer. It is one of the so-called nonmelanoma skin cancers, the incidence of which has increased rapidly worldwide in recent years. Unfortunately, the National Cancer Registry in Poland does not classify basal cell skin cancer separately. Therefore, the precise data on the incidence in the population remain unknown. Work objective. Retrospective analysis of the incidence of basal cell carcinoma in NZOZ Med-Laser in Lublin in the years 2005 – 2015 depending on gender, age group, place of residence (urban-rural) and clinical form of the disease. Material and methodology. The data of NZOZ Med-Laser from the years 2005 - 2015 were used in the study. The data concern all patients with histopathologically diagnosed basal cell carcinoma, who during the period covered by the study were consulted either as outpatients or hospitalised in an institution providing dermatological services under contract with the National Health Fund (NFZ). Patients were divided into several groups depending on gender, age and place of residence. All groups were compared quantitatively and the results are shown in the figures below. Results. The data collected indicate that between 2005 and 2015 a total of 922 patients with basal cell carcinoma received dermatological treatment. Over the years, there has been a clear increase in the number of patients with basal cell carcinoma. The disease occurred mainly in people over 59 years of age, with the majority of women living in cities. The most common locations of the cancer are nose, cheeks, forehead and temporal area. Histopathologically, solidum, superficiale, exulceratum and pseudoadenoides were the most frequently diagnosed forms. Conclusions. Basal cell carcinoma of the skin is frequent in our society. Its incidence has been increasing in recent years. Therefore, action should be taken to create consistent international registries to gather reliable epidemiological data that would show the scale of the problem, which we are dealing with almost all over the world.