Objectives. Although the incidence of skin cancers in India (part of South Asia) is low, the absolute number of cases may be significant due to large population. The existing literature on BCC in India is scant. So, this study was done focusing on its epidemiology, risk factors, and clinicopathological aspects. Methods. A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in Punjab, North India, from 2011 to 2013. History, examination and histopathological confirmation were done in all the patients visiting skin department with suspected lesions. Results. Out of 36 confirmed cases, 63.9% were females with mean ± SD age being years. Mean duration of disease was 4.7 years. Though there was statistically significant higher sun exposure in males compared to females ( value being 0.000), BCC was commoner in females, explainable by intermittent sun exposure (during household work in the open kitchens) in women. Majority of patients (88.9%) had a single lesion. Head and neck region was involved in 97.2% of cases, with nose being the commonest site (50%) with nodular/noduloulcerative morphology in 77.8% of cases. Pigmentation was evident in 22.2% of cases clinically. Nodular variety was the commonest histopathological variant (77.8%). Conclusions. This study highlights a paradoxically increasing trend of BCC with female preponderance, preferential involvement of nose, and higher percentage of pigmentation in Indians. 1. Introduction Jacob Arthurin 1827 first coined the term “rodent ulcer” to describe what we now know as a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) [1]. It is the most common cutaneous malignancy worldwide, accounting for 65–75% of all skin cancers. Gross differences are noted in the percentage of skin cancer in the Asians (2–4%) and Blacks (1-2%) as compared to the Caucasians (35–40%) [2]. Although the incidence of skin cancers in India is lower as compared to the Western world, absolute number of cases may be significant due to large population. The existing literature on BCC in India is scant with lack of clinical studies with statistical analysis [3]. So, this study was undertaken to fill this deficit in literature of BCC with focus on epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical and pathological aspects of the disease. BCC is a nonmelanocytic skin malignancy arising from basal cells of the epidermis or follicular structures and is seen mostly on sun exposed areas, especially head and neck, occasionally over the trunk and limbs, and rarely on the palms, soles, mucous membranes, and genitals [4, 5]. The anatomic distribution of BCC correlates with embryonic
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