Cancer of the skin in blacks. I. A review of 163 black patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Cancer of the skin, in general, is believed to be rather uncommon in black persons. Information from the Tumor Registry of Charity Hospital of Louisiana in New Orleans was reviewed in reference to black patients who were diagnosed as having squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin between 1948 and 1979. During this period, 163 black patients had a total of 176 SCCs of the skin. The lesions were about 20% more common than basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) in blacks of the same patient population. A mortality of 18.4% was a significant finding. The most common sites of involvement were the face and the lower extremity. Collectively, involvement of the non-sun-exposed areas was more common. The most common predisposing conditions were scarring processes.