Skin Tumors among Biopsy Samples in Patients Attending Dermatological Out Patient Department in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Skin tumors are on the rise in the Nepalese community. The different morphological pattern of skin tumors requires its meticulous categorization for understanding its effect on prognosis and treatment. Our study aimed at studying the prevalence of skin tumors among the skin biopsies performed in the dermatology outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital of Nepal. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done from skin biopsy samples from 1(st) January, 2017 to 31(st) December, 2019, at a tertiary care center. Ethical clearance was taken from the institutional review committee (IRC), Ref No: 056-077/078. Convenience sampling was done. A self-designed proforma containing questions on the patients' socio-demographic data and clinical details were used, and a biopsy of those clinically suspected to have skin tumors was done. Skin tumors were classified according to the World Health Organization 2018 classification of skin tumors. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 16. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was done, and frequency and proportion were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 671 skin biopsies were done during this study, out of which 125 (18.63%) at 95% Confidence Interval (15.68-21.57) were diagnosed with skin tumors. Among them, 77 (61.6%) were female, and 48 (38.4%) were male. Among the diagnosed cases, 105 (84%) were benign, and 20 (16%) were malignant. Females showed preponderance in both benign and malignant tumors. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from our study show the increasing prevalence of skin tumors, and the results were comparable to other similar studies conducted in various parts of Nepal.