Increase in non-melanoma skin cancer--the King's College Hospital experience (1970-92)

A retrospective study of the number of patients with non-melanoma skin cancer treated over a 22-year period at King's College Hospital was carried out. There was a threefold rise in the number of patients with basal cell carcinoma and a 10-fold rise in the number of patients with squamous cell carcinoma from 1970 to 1992. This study demonstrates a marked increase in the number of patients with non-melanoma skin cancers presenting to the Department of Dermatology and reflects a national trend which underlines the need for skin cancer services to be prepared for a growing workload in this area.