Body site locations of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis in patients referred to the Waikato District Health Board teledermoscopy clinic

Abstract

IntroductionBasal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and actinic keratosis (AK) are usually located on sun-exposed areas of the body. AimsOur main aims were to identify the common body site locations of BCC, SCC and AK in patients attending the Waikato District Health Board teledermoscopy clinic, also known as the Waikato Virtual Lesion Clinic, as well as to analyse whether the distribution of location changes with age and sex. MethodsThis is a retrospective study where the body site location of 3272 keratinocytic lesions was determined and analysed in 1864 patients attending the Waikato District Health Board teledermoscopy clinics between 2010 and 2021. ResultsAll three types of lesion were most commonly located in the head and neck region (40.9% of BCCs, 38% of SCCs, 83.2% of AKs), followed by 26.8% on the trunk for BCC, 32.3% on the lower extremities for SCC, and 11.6% on the upper extremities for AK. DiscussionOur findings of body site locations for keratinocytic lesions were consistent with other studies. Patients were commonly diagnosed with multiple keratinocytic lesions.

Keywords

• actinic
• basal cell
• carcinoma
• keratinocytes
• keratosis
• lesion