Frequency and clinicopathological features of basal cell carcinoma: a ten-year retrospective study in Kurdistan, Iran

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common human malignancy, can cause significant morbidity through extensive tissue destruction. This study aimed to determine the frequency and clinicopathological features of BCC in an Iranian population. Histopathological reports with a definitive diagnosis of BCC in all pathology centers of Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, during 2009–2019 were reviewed. Data on age, gender, site, size, and clinical and histopathological types of tumors were collected and analyzed using SPSS software. P-values < 0.05 were consideredsignificant. We found 832 BCC lesions in 779 patients, including 453 males and 326 females aged 65.36 ± 14.35 years and 62.77 ± 13.79 years, respectively. The mean tumor size was 14.52 ± 10.08 mm in men and 11.79 ± 7.89 mm in women. The most common location was the head (95.23%), with the nose representing the most involved area. Males and females differed regarding age (P = 0.012), tumor size (P < 0.001), and the anatomical distribution of tumors on various parts of the head (P < 0.001). Ulcerative (58.36%) and nodular (54.45%) BCCs were the most frequent clinical and histopathological types, respectively, both in males and females, without a significant difference between the genders (P > 0.05). Our findings suggest that age, gender, and the tumor site in various head areas could be risk factors for BCC. Appropriate knowledge of BCC and its risk factors can help design prevention strategies and provide the necessary training for healthcare staff and the public to identify the disease in susceptible individuals.