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[Skin neoplasms in general practice]
1Det medisinske fakultet Universitetet i Bergen Harald Hårfagres gate 1 5020 Bergen.
Background And Objective:
General practitioners diagnose and treat benign and malignant skin tumours. We have performed a retrospective study of all skin neoplasms diagnosed in a general practice.
Material And Methods:
Information on all skin neoplasms presented in one general practice in 1990-1999 were obtained by retrospective search of notes from 41,601 consultations (electronic files) and a handsearch of the paper-based archives.
Results:
A total of 568 skin tumours had been diagnosed, i.e. 1.37 tumours per 100 consultations. 60% of the patients were women, median age was 49 years. Nevi, seborrheic keratoses and dermatofibromas were the most frequent diagnoses. 26 malignant skin lesions had been diagnosed, among them 19 basal cell carcinomas and three malignant melanomas. All skin cancers were taken care of at the first consultation, by excision, referral, or an early new appointment for further evaluation.
Interpretation:
Skin tumours are frequently diagnosed and treated in general practice.