A retrospective study of changes in skin cancercharacteristics over 11 years

ABSTRACT

Background@#The incidence of skin cancer, which is primarily caused by exposure to ultravioletradiation, has steadily increased in recent years. The authors of the present study sought to investigatechanges in the epidemiology of skin cancer by conducting a retrospective review of patientsdiagnosed with skin cancer who received related care at a single medical institution. @*Methods@#The present study included patients who were diagnosed with skin cancer and receivedtreatment at Gyeongsang National University Hospital from 2008 to 2018. The site andtype of skin cancer, the number of patients with skin cancer each year, the sex and sex ratio of thepatients, and changes in patients’ age at first diagnosis were examined through retrospectivechart reviews. @*Results@#The number of patients with skin cancer significantly increased, but statistically significantchanges were not found in patients’ sex, skin cancer sites, or the types of skin cancer. However,patients’ age at the first diagnosis of skin cancer showed a statistically significant decreasestarting in 2015. @*Conclusion@#In this study, the number of patients with skin cancer increased over time. However,patients’ age at first diagnosis has decreased since 2015. Therefore, younger patients should takecare to prevent skin cancer, and further research on the causes of skin cancer in younger patientsis needed.