Incidence of BCC in a Tertiary Care Hospital in western U.P

Abstract

Objectives: Although the incidence of skin cancers in India (part of South Asia) is low, the absolute number of
cases may be significant due to large population. The existing literature on BCC in India is scant. So, this study was
done focusing on its epidemiology, risk factors, and clinicopathological aspects.
Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in western U.P, North India, from 2020 to 2021.
History, examination and histopathological confirmation were done in all the patients visiting skin department
with suspected lesions.
Results: Out of 36 confirmed cases, 63.9% were females with mean ± SD age being years. Mean duration of disease
was 4.7 years. Though there was statistically significant higher sun exposure in males compared to females (
value being 0.000), BCC was commoner in females, explainable by intermittent sun exposure (during household
work in the open kitchens) in women. Majority of patients (88.9%) had a single lesion. Head and neck region was
involved in 97.2% of cases, with nose being the commonest site (50%) with nodular/noduloulcerative morphology
in 77.8% of cases. Pigmentation was evident in 22.2% of cases clinically. Nodular variety was the commonest
histopathological variant (77.8%).
Conclusions: This study highlights a paradoxically increasing trend of BCC with female preponderance,
preferential involvement of nose, and higher percentage of pigmentation in Indians