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. 2010 Apr 30;6(2):270-5.
doi: 10.5114/aoms.2010.13907.

Risk factors in Central Poland for the development of superficial and nodular basal cell carcinomas

Aleksandra Lesiak  1 , Malgorzata Slowik-Rylska, Michal Rogowski-Tylman, Anna Sysa-Jedrzejowska, Mary Norval, Joanna Narbutt
Affiliations

Risk factors in Central Poland for the development of superficial and nodular basal cell carcinomas

Aleksandra Lesiak et al. Arch Med Sci. .

Abstract

Introduction: In the last decades the number of skin carcinomas has dramatically increased, which is mainly connected with changes in lifestyle, especially with common use of artificial light sources such as sunbeds. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer in white populations. Basal cell carcinomas are divided into subtypes, depending on their clinical picture and histology. The main groups are nodular (nBCC) and superficial (sBCC) ones. The major recognized risk factors for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) are exposure to chronic and intermittent burning doses of sunlight. Other risk factors leading to the development of the nBCC and sBCC subtypes of BCC are not well established.

Material and methods: An analysis of 123 patients with either nBCC or sBCC, living in Lodz, Poland, regarding various intrinsic and environmental parameters was undertaken following the histological diagnosis of BCC.

Results: No statistical differences were observed between the BCC subtype and sex, age, hair colour, eye colour, smoking, family history of skin cancer, occupation, or past episodes of sunburn. While sBCCs tended to occur on unexposed body sites in phototype I/II subjects who mainly avoided direct sunlight, nBCCs tended to occur on sun-exposed body sites in phototype III subjects who were frequently in direct sunlight.

Conclusions: Thus the development of particular BCC subtypes is partially dependent on phototype and personal sun behaviour.

Keywords: nodular basal cell carcinoma; skin phototype; sun exposure; superficial basal cell carcinoma.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histology of (A; mag. 200×) superficial (buds of basaloid cells attached to the undersurface of the epidermis, nests of various sizes in the upper dermis, tumour cell aggregates with typical peripheral palisading) and (B; mag. 200×) nodular (tumour cells with large, hyperchromatic, oval nuclei and sparse cytoplasm, various size of tumour nests, tumour cells align more densely in a palisade pattern at the periphery of these nests) subtypes of basal cell carcinoma
Figure 2
Figure 2
Phototype of the 123 patients who had either nodular (n) or superficial (s) subtype of basal cell carcinoma
Figure 3
Figure 3
Body sites of the nodular (n) and superficial (s) basal cell carcinomas in 123 patients
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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