Investigation of clinical characteristics of head and neck skin cancer patients referred to Imam Reza Birjand Hospital from ۲۰۱۶ to ۲۰۲۰

Introduction: Head and neck skin cancers are the most frequent malignancies in Iran and across the globe. Skin malignancies are caused by a variety of risk factors, including sunshine and vitamin D deficiency. Despite the relatively high number of sunshine days per year in Southern Khorasan, there is insufficient research investigating skin malignancies in this province. This study aimed to characterize head skin (face/scalp) malignancies in patients admitted to the surgical ward at Imam Reza Hospital in Birjand between October ۲۰۱۶ and October ۲۰۲۰. Methods: Ninety-nine patients with head skin cancers from Southern Khorasan province were recruited in this descriptive, cross-sectional study. The patients were diagnosed in the surgical ward of Imam Reza Hospital in Birjand from October ۲۰۱۶ to October ۲۰۲۰. The required data were collected using a checklist based on patients’ files, and the data were analyzed using the Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests in SPSS software (Version. ۱۶). The level of significance was set at P <۰.۰۵. Results: Patients with Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were on average ۶۸ years and ۷۴ years old, respectively. BCC (۷۳.۷۴%) was the most prevalent neoplasm, followed by SCC (۲۳.۲۳%) and melanoma (۳.۰۳%). The nose (۲۸.۱%), cheeks (۲۷.۱%), and scalp (۱۹.۸%) were the most frequent locations of involvement. In individuals with non-melanotic skin cancers, the mean lesion size was ۱۲ mm in the BCC group and ۲۳ mm in the SCC group. Conclusion: BCC was the most common head and facial skin neoplasm. Participants did not differ significantly in terms of age and gender. The most common location of involvement was the nose. SCC lesions were significantly greater in size than non-melanotic lesions. Only one case of metastasis was found at hospital admission. View ORCID ID Profile  You can also search for this author in PubMed    ResearchGate   Scopus    Google Scholar    Google Scholar Profile

Keywords:

Squamous Cell Carcinoma , Basal Cell Carcinoma , Melanoma , Metastasis