Histopathological Analysis of the Cutaneous Changes Due to Kangri Use in Kashmiri Population: A Hospital Based Study

BACKGROUND: Kangri cancer is peculiar to the valley of Kashmir as people of all age groups are accustomed to warm their bodies by the use of Kangri baskets. The clinical spectrum of skin cancer in the Kashmir valley is entirely different from the rest of the country, which could be attributed to the use of Kangri in this geographical region.[12] AIMS: Histopathological analysis of the cutaneous changes due to kangri use in Kashmiri population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective hospital based study. All the patients attending the outpatient department of Dermatology, STD and Leprosy at SMHS Hospital, an associated hospital of govt. medical college in Srinagar and presented with suspicious lesions (i.e., erythema ab igne, papular or nodular skin growths) due to Kangri use were taken up for the study. A detailed history including the use of Kangri and a physical examination was done in each patient followed by a histopathological examination in case of suspicious lesions. RESULTS: The cutaneous changes which were observed during the study period of 8 months were erythema ab igne, bowen's disease and squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Although this is a preliminary study we will be studying more of such changes caused due to Kangri use in the future.