Abstract
BackgroundSkin cancer is rare among Africans and albinism is an established risk for skin cancer in this population. Ultraviolet radiation is highest at the equator and African albinos living close to the equator have the highest risk of developing skin cancers.MethodsThis was a retrospective study that involved histological review of all specimens with skin cancers from African albinos submitted to The Regional Dermatology Training Center in Moshi, Tanzania from 2002 to 2011.ResultsA total of 134 biopsies from 86 patients with a male to female ratio of 1:1 were reviewed. Head and neck was the commonest (n = 75, 56.0%) site affected by skin cancers. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was more common than basal cell carcinoma (BCC) with a ratio of 1.2:1. Only one Acral lentiginous melanoma was reported. Majority (55.6%) of SCC were well differentiated while nodular BCC (75%) was the most common type of BCC.ConclusionsSquamous cell carcinoma is more common than basal cell carcinoma in African albinos.
Highlights
Skin cancer is rare among Africans and albinism is an established risk for skin cancer in this population
The duration of skin cancer ranged from 3 months to 120 months with a mean of 14.1 months (SD ± 19.5)
The majority (55.6%) of the Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were well differentiated, whereas nodular basal cell carcinoma (BCC) shown in Figure 2 was the most predominant (73.8%) type
Summary
Skin cancer is rare among Africans and albinism is an established risk for skin cancer in this population. Ultraviolet radiation is highest at the equator and African albinos living close to the equator have the highest risk of developing skin cancers. Methods: This was a retrospective study that involved histological review of all specimens with skin cancers from African albinos submitted to The Regional Dermatology Training Center in Moshi, Tanzania from 2002 to 2011. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was more common than basal cell carcinoma (BCC) with a ratio of 1.2:1. Conclusions: Squamous cell carcinoma is more common than basal cell carcinoma in African albinos. Skin cancer is the most common malignancy among Caucasians. Albinism is a genetically inherited disorder with a worldwide distribution. It presents with reduced or no melanin in the hair, the skin and the eyes [4].
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