Higher incidence of eyelid squamous cell carcinoma in comparison to basal cell carcinoma

ABSTRACT

According to this study, the incidence of eyelid squamous cell carcinoma [45%] is nearly twice the incidence of basal cell carcinoma [25%] in the upper Sindh and the surrounding areas of Baluchistan, Pakistan. Also, squamous cell carcinoma occurred twice as frequently in the lower eyelid [six cases] than in the upper eyelid [three cases]. Both of these findings are contrary to the established views of the Western authors and publications. Nonetheless, more research is needed in all parts of the country to confirm this most interesting discovery of our study. Out of a total of 20 histopathologically studied eyelid tumors collected from the Department of Ophthalmology and the Department of Pathology, Chandka Medical College, Larkana, nine [45%] were squamous cell carcinomas, 5 [25%] basal cell carcinomas, one [5%] sebaceous adenocarcinoma, two [10%] neurofibromas, one [5%] compound nevus, and one [5%] tricho-epithelioma. One lesion [5%] was a chronic tuberculous granuloma. The racial, genetic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors may be responsible for this reverse trend in the relative incidence of squamous and basal cell carcinomas of the eyelid. All of the patients in this study were from the poor socioeconomic group