Non – melanoma skin cancer like basal cell carcinoma ( BCC ) and squamous cell carcinoma ( SCC ) are not an
uncommon skin diseases in Iraqi patients, so this study was conducted to shed light on various clinical and
histopathological aspects of these cancers affecting the face, at Hilla city.
A total of 50 patients with non – melanoma skin cancers was seen. Their ages ranged between 10 – 85 years (
mean ± SD, 54.9 ± 16.1 years ), while their ages of onset ranged between 7 – 80 years ( mean ± SD, 52.4 ±
15.5 years ). The duration of the disease ranged from 1-7 years ( mean ± SD, 2.9 ± 1.5 years ). There were 28
males ( 56 ٪ ) and 22 females ( 44 ٪ ) with a sex ratio of 1.3 : 1.
Twenty – nine patients with basal cell carcinomas were seen ( 58٪ ). There ages ranged between 30 – 85 years (
mean ± SD 58.4 ± 13.9 years ), while their ages of onset between 29 – 80 years ( mean ± SD, 50.7 ± 18.4
years ). The duration of the disease ranged between 1-7years ( mean ± SD, 3.4 ± 1.4 years ). There were 16 males
( 55 ٪ ) and 13 females ( 45 ٪ ) with a sex ratio of 1.2 : 1. The clinical types of BCCs on the face were : nodulo –
ulcerative ( 38 ٪ ), pigmented ( 14 ٪ ), morpheaform ( 4 ٪ ) and cystic ( 2 ٪ ). The sites of involvement of BCCs on
the face were : nose ( 16 ٪ ), cheeks ( 14 ٪ ), forehead ( 12 ٪ ), inner canthi of eyes ( 6 ٪ ), upper vermilion lip ( 4
٪ ), retroauricular ( 4 ٪ ) and inside the auricle of left ear ( 2 ٪ ). The pathological types of BCCs were : nodular ( 40
٪ ), pigmented ( 14 ٪ ) and morpheaform ( 4 ٪ ). The clinical types of BCCs, the sites of involvement on the face
and the pathological features were comparable to what has been reported.
Eighteen patient with squamous cell carcinomas were seen ( 36 ٪ ). Their ages ranged between 10 – 70 years (
mean ± SD, 48 ± 19 years ) while their ages of onset between 7 – 68 years ( mean ± SD, 54.6 ± 10.6 years ). The
duration of the disease ranged between 1 – 3 years ( mean ± SD 1.5 ± 1.6 years ). There were 9 males ( 50 ٪ ) and 9
females ( 50 ٪ ) with a sex ratio of 1 : 1. The sites of involvement of SCCs on the face were : cheeks ( 16 ٪ ), lower
lip ( 8 ٪ ), upper lip (4 ٪ ), forehead ( 4 ٪ ), nose ( 2 ٪ ) and pinna of left ear ( 2 ٪ ). The pathological types of SCCs
were : well differentiated ( 16 ٪ ), moderately well differentiated ( 18 ٪ ) and poorly differentiated ( 2 ٪ ). Theclinical, histopathological and sites of involvement were similar to what has been reported. The study prsented the
first reported case of SCC arising from a scar of localized atrophic discoid lupus erythematosus on the upper lip, in
Iraq.
Other non – melanoma skin cancers of the face reported in the study were : basosquamous ( 2 ٪ ), mycosis
fungoides ( 2 ٪ ) and kaposi's sarcoma ( 2 ٪ ). |