Basal cell carcinoma in North American blacks. Clinical and histopathologic study of 26 patients.

Basal cell carcinoma is rare in blacks. A clinical and histopathologic review of 43 basal cell carcinomas in 26 black patients is reported. Basal cell carcinoma was found to be more common in women than in men. Our data indicated a lower prevalence on the nose and trunk compared with other reports. Multiple tumors were more common in our series. Our study included the youngest black patient with a pure basal cell carcinoma, the first reported superficial basal cell carcinoma, the second reported perianal basal cell carcinoma, and one albino patient with 12 tumors. Histologically there was a positive correlation between the maximum depth of tumor invasion and the maximum diameter of the lesion. Of three basal cell carcinomas arising in scars, metastasis developed in one. Our report includes a review of basal cell carcinomas in North American blacks.