[Retrospective analysis of 1905 patients with skin cancer from two general hospitals in western China from 1981 to 2000].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the clinical features and changes in the incidence of skin cancer in two hospitals located in western China.


METHODS
The patients diagnosed pathologically as skin cancer from 1981 to 2000 were retrospectively collected from the two hospitals. Clinical data of patients with skin cancer were collected and analyzed.


RESULTS
(1) Of the 1 905 patients with skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma accounted for 29.4%(560 patients), basal cell carcinoma 28.0% (534), and cutaneous malignant melanoma(CMM) 16.0% (305). (2) There were 591 patients with skin cancer diagnosed between 1980 and 1990, and 1 314 between 1991 and 2000, and accounted for 0.34% and 0.58% of all biopsy cases, respectively. The number of total biopsy patients increased 1.6% every year during the 20 years. The number of biopsy patients with skin cancer and with CMM increased 3.5% and 3.9% every year,respectively. (3) Of the 305 CMM patients, 63.3% located on the acra. These patients were elder, and have a higher rate of trauma and a higher incidence in the male than that in patients with CMM located on the other sites. (4) Of the 305 CMM patients, 64 (21%) had history of trauma at the primary onset sites, and 47 (15.4%) had history of small congenital nevi at the primary sites.


CONCLUSIONS
There are some differences in the clinical features such as location and age between the skin cancer patients in our study and those in white population. The incidence of skin cancer in the two hospitals had been increasing in the 20 years (between 1981 and 2000). Both trauma and small congenital nevi are important risk factors of CMM.
Gao
Tian-wen
TW
Department of Dermatology of Xijing Hospital, 4th Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China. gaotw@fmmu.edu.cn
Sun
Dong-jie
DJ
Li
Chun-ying
CY
He
Hong
H
Li
Qing
Q
Liu
You-sheng
YS
Diao
Qing-chun
QC
Huang
Gao-sheng
GS
Hao
Fei
F
Zhong
Bai-yu
BY
Ma
Fu-cheng
FC
Liu
Feng-xuan
FX
Yan
Xiao-chu
XC
Liu
Dong-mei
DM
Liu
Yu-feng
YF
Liu
Rong-qing
RQ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*