Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Bowen’s Disease of the Skin in Singapore

Abstract

Introduction: Non-melanoma skin cancer is one of the commonest cancers in Singapore and worldwide. The aim of our study was to evaluate the demographic and clinicopathological patterns of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and Bowen’s disease (BD) of the skin, in order to better understand the characteristics of these tumours in our population. Materials and Methods: Histologically proven cases of SCC and BD seen at our centre between 2002 and 2003 were retrospectively analysed according to age, sex, race, predisposing factors such as immuno-suppression and ultraviolet therapy, site and size of tumour, histological differentiation and subtype, and treatment method. Results: A total of 161 patients were studied – 81 with SCC, 68 with BD, and 12 with both tumours. There were 199 tumours in total – 105 SCC and 94 BD. For both SCC and BD, males outnumbered females (ratio of 2.4:1 and 1.5:1 respectively); patient age averaged 72.9 years and 66.8 years respectively; and Chinese were the majority race. The mean duration to presentation was 21.2 months for SCC compared with 39.9 months for BD, and common symptoms were itch, pain and bleeding for both. The mean tumour size was 19.0 mm and 18.5 mm, and the commonest site was the head and neck for both. Conclusions: SCC and BD show rather similar patient characteristics, with a predominance among males, having a predilection for the head and neck region, and with a tendency towards slow growth. As incidences increase worldwide, it is important for healthcare providers to be adept at recognising and managing non-melanoma skin cancers. Key words: Arsenic, Skin cancer

Clinical and histopathological characteristics, diagnosis and treatment, and comorbidities of Bowen’s disease: a retrospective study

“…BD is mostly involved in sun-exposed areas of the body and lesions often appear on the head, face, and limbs ( 7 ); more recent studies suggest BD has a predilection for the head and neck ( 8 , 9 ). Trunk and limbs were the most common distribution, while lesions in the head and neck with the lowest proportion in our study, which is slightly different from previous findings ( 7 – 9 ).…”

“…BD is mostly involved in sun-exposed areas of the body and lesions often appear on the head, face, and limbs ( 7 ); more recent studies suggest BD has a predilection for the head and neck ( 8 , 9 ). Trunk and limbs were the most common distribution, while lesions in the head and neck with the lowest proportion in our study, which is slightly different from previous findings ( 7 – 9 ). Interestingly, the lesions of 46.00% patients with BD located on non-sun-exposed sites, such as the trunk and genitals, suggest that we should pay more attention to rashes in non-sun-exposed sites.…”

An Unusual Case of Recurrent Cutaneous Carcinomas Over Extragenital Multicentric Pigmented Bowen’s Disease

“…Though Bowen’s disease may be called SCC in situ , it may mimic invasive carcinomas because both present in a very similar fashion with itching, pain, and bleeding at presentation. [ 13 ] Immunohistochemistry helps in determining the type of tumor, where, in this case due to financial restrictions, the patient could not afford to undergo the same for the excised tumor.…”