Clinical and Pathological Characteristics of 755 Patients with Skin Cancers in Hainan, China: A 12-Year Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND: Skin cancers are the most frequent types of all malignant tumours with increasing incidence rates. The incidence rate varies between different countries around the world. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the clinical–pathological characteristics of skin cancers in patients visited at the Department of Dermatology of the Fifth People’s Hospital of Hainan Province from China during the last 12 years. METHODS: The hospital database was searched for patients with skin cancers over a period of 12 years (from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2020), and a retrospective review was conducted and a descriptive data analysis was undertaken on patients. RESULTS: A total of 755 specimens of skin cancers were confirmed during this period. The common skin cancers were basal cell carcinoma (341, 48.99%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (148, 21.26%) and Bowen’s disease (109, 15.66%). The range of age at the time of skin cancers onset was mainly from 40 to 79 years (73.01%). The disease duration ranged from 7 days to 70 years, mainly occurred in 2 years (53.30%). The lesions were most frequently located in the region of head, face and neck (452, 59.87%), followed by extremity (107, 14.17%) and trunk (87, 11.52%). The accordance rate of clinical-pathological diagnosis in common skin cancers was about 43.14%, while that of rare skin cancers was only 27.59%. CONCLUSION: Overall, head, face and neck region was the most common sites for sun-related skin cancers in Hainan, China. The coincidence rate of initial diagnosis and pathological diagnosis was low in skin cancers. Consequently, any suspicious lesion, for which the clinical diagnosis is uncertain, should be biopsied for histopathological examination to rule out malignancy.