Pattern of skin cancer in north western region of Yemen

Abstract

The pattern of skin cancer differs in different countries. The aim of this study is to identify the pattern of skin cancer in northwestern region in Yemen and to compare it to similar studies done in southern Yemeni governorates and in neighborhood. This is a descriptive prospective study of patients data with histologically diagnosed skin cancers carried out in the Saudi hospital in Sa'adah and Hajjah governorates in Yemen between Jan.2007 and Dec.2014. The data were collected and recorded on proforma and was analyzed according to the type of tumor, age and gender of the patients and anatomical site involved. Two histopathologists investigated the specimens. There were 324 Yemeni patients with skin malignancy, 204 were males (63%) and 120 were females (37%), the M: F ratio was 1.7:1. Most of the patients were over the age of 60 years and the mean age of all cases was 66.4 years. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most frequent (50%), followed by basal cell carcinoma (29%), Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (4.9%), malignant melanoma (4%), and Kaposi's sarcoma (3.7%). Other rare primary skin cancers such as basosquamous carcinoma, adnexal carcinoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, neuroendocrine carcinoma, extramammary Paget's disease and aggressive angiomyxoma were recorded. Metastatic skin lesions were seen in six patients. The patterns of skin cancer in northwestern governorates of Yemen are nearly similar to international studies with higher incidence of squamous cell carcinoma. Head and neck was the most common affected site, followed by lower extremities. Community education about the risk of long exposure to sunlight is important, including coverage of the head and neck when working outdoor under sunny weather.