The Epidemiological Pattern of Skin Cancer from 2011 to 2022 among the Population of the Aseer Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

SIMPLE SUMMARY: We found that the incidence of skin cancer in the Saudi population of the Aseer Region of the country has varied over the years, with an overall risk of 9.9% of developing cancer before the age of 75 years. The most common types of skin cancer were squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. The head and neck region were the most affected areas, and the majority of cases were observed in individuals aged 61–80 years. There was a higher incidence of skin cancer in men compared with women, and the dataset primarily consisted of Saudi nationals. ABSTRACT: The overall risk of developing cancer before the age of 75 years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is 9.9%. We aimed to explore the pattern of skin cancer, specifically among the Saudi population residing in the Aseer region. We obtained data from the medical records of Aseer Central Hospital regional histopathological laboratory considering surgical pathology reports from 2011 to 2021. The 61–80-year-old age group represented most of the cases (41.4%), followed by the 41–60-year-old group at 24.1%. Men made up the majority of the cases (59.4%). Furthermore, the dataset predominantly consisted of Saudi nationals (94.3% of the sample). The percentage of cases diagnosed each year relative to the cumulative number of skin cancer cases varied each year, ranging from 1.6% in 2011 to 11.6% in 2017. The most common diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with 230 cases (41.1%) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) with 147 cases (26.3%). The majority of cases occurred in the head and neck region (55.4%), followed by the lower limb (16.6%), trunk (13.6%), upper limb (8.2%), and pelvis (2.3%). There was a significant variation in the type of skin cancer across the age groups (p < 0.001) and across different body parts (p < 0.001). The incidence of skin cancer exhibited variability throughout the study period. The predominant diagnoses observed were SSC and BCC. Among the affected areas, the head and neck region displayed the highest prevalence, followed by the lower limb, trunk, upper limb, and pelvis.