[Squamous cell carcinoma in black patients: 80 cases]

Squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant epithelial tumor of the skin, rarely observed in "black" skin. It often complicates an acquired or congenital pre-neoplastic dermatosis. We report on 80 cases of squamous cell carcinoma having occurred in black African patients from Senegal.

We retrospectively analyzed all the medical files of patients followed-up in the department for histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma from 1980 to 1999.

Eighty cases of carcinoma were collected. The mean age of the patients was of 47 years (range: 1 to 85) and the sex ratio was of 1.35 (46 men and 34 women). A pre-neoplastic dermatosis was identified in 65% the patients. Acquired pre-neoplastic dermatosis was: heat burn scars (15 cases), chronic discoid lupus erythematosus (6 cases) and chronic phagedenic ulcer (4 cases). Pre-neoplastic genodermatoses were: albinism (6 cases), xeroderma pigmentosum (5 cases) and epidermodysplasia verruciformis (1 case). Lesions were multiple and cephalic in patients with genodermatosis. Death due to carcinoma occurred in 8 patients.

This large series of squamous cell carcinoma emphasizes: the rarity of squamous cell carcinomas in black patients and the frequency of its occurrence on acquired pre-existing dermatosis. For many years phagedenic ulcers predominated. Our results show the regression of the latter and its increase on post-burn scars and chronic lupus erythematosus. Pre-neoplastic genodermatoses that determine multiple cancers, usually located on sun-exposed areas and occurring in young patients, are particularly severe.