title: Histopathologic analysis of epidermal skin tumours and tumour-like lesions in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A histopathologic analysis of epidermal skin tumours and tumour-like lesions seen between 1991 - 2000 in the Department of Pathology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital [A.B.U.T.H], Zaria is presented.
  
  
  METHODS
  These tumours were classified according to World Health Organisation's International Histological Classification for Skin Tumours and were tabulated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 350 such lesions comprising 9.9% of all cutaneous neoplasms seen within the study period were collected. Overall, they have a male to female ratio of 1.7:1. Malignant tumours constituted 72.5%; benign tumours 18.3% and tumour-like lesions 9.2%. The commonest malignant lesion was squamous cell carcinoma, which constituted 68.3% of all the lesions with a male to female ratio of 1.7:1. Epidermal cyst comprised 16.3% with a male to female ratio of 1.5:1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is concluded that epidermal tumours and tumour-like lesions are not uncommon in Zaria and they show a male preponderance with squamous cell carcinoma being the commonest epidermal tumour and it also predominantly affects males.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Abuth, Zaria.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Rafindadi
authors.forename: M O A
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Samaila
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology; D004814:Epidermal Cyst / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007636:Keratoacanthoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D017492:Keratosis, Seborrheic / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*