Cutaneous basal cell carcinoma in Kenya.

Abstract

Primary basal cell carcinoma(BCC) of the skin is the commonest tumour in Caucasians. Its incidence and mode of presentation in Kenyan Africans are unknown.

To study the incidence and mode of presentation of BCC in Kenya.

A thirty year retrospective study (1968-1997) of all BCCs documented in the Kenya Cancer Registry (KCR), and a case report of one patient seen at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Nairobi.

Seventy four BCCs were recorded in thirty five Caucasians and thirty nine Africans. The race-specific mean annual incidence rates per million population were 58.5 and 0.065 for Caucasians and Africans, respectively. Clinical presentation in both racial groups was similar.

BCC is a rare malignant tumour in Kenyan Africans but its mode of clinical presentation is similar to that in Caucasians.