Epidemiologic and pathologic characteristics of basal cell carcinoma in northern Taiwan: Experience from a medical center

Abstract

Background: The epidemiologic studies of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in Taiwan are lacking. Aim: This study aimed to provide the epidemiologic and pathologic information of BCC among the northern Taiwanese population and try to identify the association of patient demographic characteristics with histopathological findings. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 103 BCC cases diagnosed between December 1985 and December 2011 at the Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. The patients′ age and sex, and anatomic distribution, subtype, depth, and pigmentation of the lesions were analyzed. Results: Of the patients, 59 were men and 44 were women (male-to-female ratio, 1.34). The overall mean age was 69.5 ± 12.91 years; with the mean age of the women lower than that of the men (66.9 vs. 71.4 years). The frequency of microscopic pigmentation in BCC was 52.4%. Nodular BCC was more inclined to develop microscopic pigmentation. The BCCs with depths greater than 3.3 mm tended to have no microscopic pigmentation. Superficial BCCs tended to involve the trunk and to occur in people younger than 60 years of age. Conclusions: This updated analysis study of BCC showed the mean age of BCC had a trend to increase in northern Taiwan. The male-to-female ratio in our study was slightly higher than those of other Asian countries. We suggest that excision of BCC without pigmentation could be deeper than pigmented BCC.

Keywords

• Basal cell carcinoma
• pigmentation
• depth
• epidemiology
• pathology
• subtype