Squamous cell carcinoma in the Afro-Caribbean community: an 11-year retrospective study

Abstract

Background

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is considered the most frequent skin cancer in black people. Its incidence is not known in the Afro-Caribbean population.

Objective

To assess the incidence of SCC in Guadeloupe, the largest island of the Lesser Antilles (405 000 inhabitants, mostly black people of African and European descent). The second objective was to characterize clinical and histological patterns of SCC occurring in the Afro-Caribbean community.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted over an 11-year period (2000-2010). Data regarding 723 histological confirmed cases of SCC identified using the three Guadeloupean pathology laboratories computerized databases were retrieved from the records of 551 patients. Private practice dermatologists and general practitioners were contacted to obtain any missing data.

Results

The annual age-adjusted incidence of SCC was 15 per 100.000 residents in Guadeloupe. In the Afro-Caribbean community, SCC had a greater size (i.e.: 2.8±2.8 cm versus 1.5±1.0 cm, p<0.001), was more often located on the anogenital area (i.e.:48/79-60.8% versus 14/320-4.4%, p<0.001) in association with an underlying dermatosis due to HPV infection (15/71- 21.1% versus 3/366, 0.8%, p<0.001) and led more frequently to metastasis (13/84-15.5% versus 10/366-2.7%, p<0.001) and/or fatal evolution (11/83-13.3% versus 7/365-1.9%, p<0.001).

Conclusions

The results of this original study, which first estimated the incidence of SCC in West Indies, suggest that anogenital examination should be routinely performed in skin cancer screening of Afro-Caribbean people in order to detect the presence of SCC at an early stage.

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