[Cutaneous head and neck carcinomas: personal experience].

The Authors reviewed the personal surgical series about three hundred ninety-nine nonmelanoma skin cancers of the head and neck, examined from 1984 to 1993. The commonest histologic types were basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The median age was 70 and 69 years and the male to female ratio was 2:1 and 3:1, respectively for BCC and SCC. The distribution of sites of origin showed a clear tendency of BCC for arising in the midface region and SCC in the auricolar area and the nose. The correlation between local recurrence rates and duration of follow-up has proposed again the necessity of a long-term observation (over a 5-year period) in order to early detect a relapse or a new primary skin cancer. Finally, the Authors examine some clinical factors related to a high risk of local recurrence. These variables are: site, size, histologic differentiation, stage and previous surgical treatment. The final results are comparable to those described in the late Literature.