Skin Cancer in the North Solomons

Abstract

The Melanesians of the North Solomons arc exposed to intense equatorial sunlight and yet have a very low incidence of skin cancer. lhis study reveals no proven cases of basal cell carcinoma in these people, and demonstrates the rarity of squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma arising in normal pigmented skin. Most, if not all squamous cell carcinomas, arise in skin damaged by tropical ulceration, burns or osteomyelitis. Melanoma arises from the unpigmented skin of the sole of the foot. North Solomon Islanders are very deeply pigmented. Presumably, dense cutaneous melanin in normal undamaged skin provides the highly effective protection against solar carcinogenesis which these people enjoy. Chronic or recurrent skin ulceration with subsequent repair, scarring and loss of pigment is the precursor to almost all non‐melanoma skin cancer in these people. Most of these cancers could be prevented by split thickness skin grafting of chronic ulcers. and protection of ulcerated, depigmented and scarred skin from solar radiation.

A systematic review of worldwide incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer

“…1). 3–7,12–81 Thirty‐one studies were excluded as they did not focus exclusively on NMSC. These papers were all cancer incidence reviews and in the majority of cases did not report NMSC incidence at all.…”

Academic Surgery in Papua New Guinea

“…Sankar Sinha (1979–1985 and 1989–1990) and John Lourie (Orthopaedic Surgeon and Professor of Human Biology 1982–1984) were the academic leaders of the early 1980s. Hamish Foster also published a number of papers from his position as the surgeon to Bougainville 2–4 . Their research efforts concentrated on the conditions most prevalent in PNG, notably trauma, infection, malignancy and deformities 2–10 .…”

“…Hamish Foster also published a number of papers from his position as the surgeon to Bougainville 2–4 . Their research efforts concentrated on the conditions most prevalent in PNG, notably trauma, infection, malignancy and deformities 2–10 . During the 1980s, advice on education and training was provided by Scotty McLeish who was the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Censor‐in‐Chief and later President (1985–1987).…”