Pattern of skin malignancies in Manipur, India: A 5-year histopathological review

Abstract

Background Dermatological malignancies are relatively uncommon worldwide and are usually not ranked among the top ten common cancers. Various studies indicate a progressive rise in the incidence of skin cancers. This study was  erformed to determine the pattern of skin malignancies in Manipur, India.Patients and methods This was a retrospective analysis of skin cancers seen in a major referral centre in Manipur. Histologically diagnosed skin cancers seen from August, 2004 to October, 2009 were reviewed and analyzed according to age, gender, site of distribution and histological types. Results 92 histologically diagnosed skin malignancies were reported during the period under review comprising 2.8% of all histologically diagnosed cancers in RIMS hospital. 47 cases (51.1%) were males and 45 cases (48.9%) females with a male to female ratio of 1:0.96. Age ranged from 17 years to 90 years. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most common malignancy consisting of 40 (43.6%) cases followed by basal cell carcinoma (BCC) with 30 (32.6%) cases melanoma with 13 (14.2%) cases. Kaposi’s sarcoma, sebaceous carcinoma and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans constituted about 3.2% with three cases each. Conclusion The most common skin malignancy was SCC followed by BCC and melanoma. In contrast to the Western countries, melanoma is a rare skin neoplasm in Manipur. For better health planning similar larger studies should be encouraged.