Cutaneous basal cell carcinoma in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Primary basal cell carcinoma(BCC) of the skin is the commonest tumour in Caucasians. Its incidence and mode of presentation in Kenyan Africans are unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To study the incidence and mode of presentation of BCC in Kenya.

DESIGN: A thirty year retrospective study (1968-1997) of all BCCs documented in the Kenya Cancer Registry (KCR), and a case report of one patient seen at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Nairobi.

RESULTS: Seventy four BCCs were recorded in thirty five Caucasians and thirty nine Africans. The race-specific mean annual incidence rates per million population were 58.5 and 0.065 for Caucasians and Africans, respectively. Clinical presentation in both racial groups was similar.

CONCLUSION: BCC is a rare malignant tumour in Kenyan Africans but its mode of clinical presentation is similar to that in Caucasians.