title: Malignant cutaneous tumors of the scalp: a study of demographic characteristics and histologic distributions of 398 Taiwanese patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The scalp is a unique anatomic region, in which pilosebaceous follicles are concentrated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to investigate demographic characteristics and histologic distributions of malignant scalp tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary and metastatic scalp malignancies diagnosed histopathologically between 1983 and 2003 were reviewed. Age at diagnosis, sex, and histologic types were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 398 Taiwanese patients (200 males, 198 females) were selected. Age at diagnosis ranged from 3 to 103 years. Most malignant scalp tumors (69.8%) occurred in those 50 years or older. Basal (41.2%) and squamous (16.6%) cell carcinomas were the most common histologic types. Surprisingly, metastatic tumors (12.8%) came in third, in which lung cancers were the most frequent primary tumor in both male and female patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our series, the case number of metastatic scalp malignancies was underestimated because not all patients with metastatic scalp tumors received a scalp skin biopsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because a wide spectrum of primary and metastatic malignancies can occur on the scalp, scalp inspection should be included in general screening for either skin or internal cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Sheng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Chyi-Yih
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Tseng-Tong
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Yue-Zon
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Kuan
authors.forename: Min-Jing
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hsin-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Li-Chen
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chien-Hsun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: I-Hsin
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Hong-Shang
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Ya-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chuang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018223:Dermatofibrosarcoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012535:Scalp; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology