A study of four European regions found that the incidence and prevalence of basal cell carcinoma is underreported compared with that of malignant skin cancer.
The incidence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common cancer among the white population, continues to rise worldwide. Researchers analyzed the cancer registry database practices of Finland, Malta, southeast Netherlands, and Scotland. They examined the records of first and multiple BCC registrations.
Data from 2009 were examined for Finland, Malta, and southeast Netherlands; 2006 data were analyzed in the Scottish database. For greater accuracy, investigators also checked hospital and pathology databases for possible omissions from the cancer registries.
Investigators acknowledged the difficulty of logging all BCCs, given that many are undocumented because they are not histologically verified, and they are excised without biopsy. Compounding this, researchers wrote, is that registry clerks have difficulty discerning between BCC rebiopsies, re-excisions, recurrences, and new tumors that grow in the same location.
Study results indicated that first primary BCC occurrence was underreported. Researchers found 30% more patients presented with a BCC, and there were 40% to 100% more BCC tumors diagnosed than were routinely registered.
“Currently, routinely reported first BCC incidence rates [for the four regions studied] should be multiplied by a factor of 1.3 for [a more accurate] estimate of the total number of patients diagnosed as having a BCC in a given year,” researchers concluded.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.