Abstract
Purpose: Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in the western population and the annual incidence rate is still on an increasing course. In Asian countries such as Korea, the incidence of basal cell carcinoma is reported to be remarkably low but is estimated to be in a steep increase nowadays. This study was to analyze the recent clinical trends of basal cell carcinoma in Korea by reviewing a single institution's experience. Methods: Throughout an 11-year period, the surgical excision of 143 cases of basal cell carcinoma was performed in our department. General data of these cases such as the primary site of cancer, age and sex of the patient, operative methods, recurrence rate were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Among the 143 patients included in this study, 82 patients were men and 61 patients were women. The ages ranged from 27 to 89 years with a mean age of 64.0 years. The head and neck region was the most frequently involved primary site for the cancer as 95.1% of the total cases occurred in this area. Especially the nose and perinasal area were the most frequent region, which was followed by the periorbital area, cheek, and perioral area. During this study period, 9 cases showed recurrence of the cancer as the overall recurrence rate was 6.3%. Conclusion: Gradual increase in the incidence of basal cell carcinoma was demonstrated in this study. Basal cell carcinoma showed high incidence in the old-age population as 68.5% of the total patients were more than 60 years of age. High recurrence rate was noted in the nasal region especially after local flap reconstruction. A more cautious approach is to be required when handing such high risk lesions. Multiple factors such as extended life span, increased outdoor leisure activity and exposure to sunlight, higher accessibility to medical services and increased understanding of the public about skin cancer are assumed to be the main reasons for this increase of basal cell carcinoma.
