Ms. Beckenstein et Bh. Windle, BASAL-CELL CARCINOMA IN BLACK PATIENTS - THE NEED TO INCLUDE IT IN THE DIFFERENTIAL-DIAGNOSIS, Annals of plastic surgery, 35(5), 1995, pp. 546-548
We present a retrospective study of 276 basal cell carcinomas which we
have identified 5 (1.8%) black patients, This finding agrees with the
current literature, which states that basal cell carcinoma in the bla
ck population is relatively infrequent. Although basal cell carcinoma
in black patients is uncommon, it should be included in the differenti
al diagnosis of any suspicious lesion in this population to avoid the
morbidity that is associated with a delay in diagnosis. In this study
we also present the possible association of basal cell carcinoma occur
ring concomitantly with a second primary malignancy in this population
. In black patients basal cell carcinoma is found more frequently in r
egions of the body that are protected from ultraviolet radiation when
compared to white patients. This leads to the speculation that a diffe
rent pathogenesis of basal cell carcinoma exists for black patients.