Distribution of skin cancers of the head and neck according to anatomical subunit.

PURPOSE

The skin tumors can occur on any part of the body, these anatomical subunits are considered prognostic factors for localized carcinomas. Tumor size is a prognostic criterion that also varies according to the anatomical location of these tumors. Head and neck region is the most common location. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of BCC, SCC, and MM in the anatomical subunits of the head and neck region and their relationships with these anatomical subunits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent surgery for BCC, SCC, BSCC and/or MM in the head and neck region. The head and neck region was divided topographically into the following subunits: scalp, forehead, orbital region, ear and periauricular region, cheeks, nose, perioral region, and neck. Patients were analyzed according to age, sex, and tumor location, type, and size.

RESULTS

The SCC group was found to have significantly larger mean tumor size than the BCC group (p = 0.003). SCC was more frequently located in the perioral region (p = 0.001), BCC was more frequently located on the nose (p = 0.001), and MM was more frequently located on the forehead and scalp (p = 0.034, p = 0.49) when compared with the other types. BCC was more frequently located in the orbital region than SCC (p = 0.018) CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed statistically significant differences in the distribution of BCC, SCC, and MM, the most common types of skin cancer, among the topographical subunits of the head and neck region.