Basal cell carcinoma of the eyelid in Finland during 1953-97.

PURPOSE: To study the incidence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the eyelid in Finland.

METHODS: We studied 6241 cases of BCC of the eyelid reported to the nationwide Finnish Cancer Registry during 1953-97. We determined the age- and sex- specific incidence rates and overall rates adjusted for age to the world standard population, and social class- and occupation-specific standardized incidence ratios, with the total Finnish population as reference.

RESULTS: The incidence rates of BCC of the eyelid varied between 0.7 and 3.0 per 100 000 person-years in men and between 0.5 and 2.8 per 100 000 person-years in women during the study period. The age-adjusted incidence rates of BCC of the eyelid increased during 1953-87 (p < 0.0001). The incidence of BCC of the eyelid rose significantly with age. There were no significant differences in standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for BCC of the eyelid between different social class and occupation categories.

CONCLUSION: Age-adjusted incidence rates showed that BCC of the eyelid was more than twice as frequent during 1978-97 than before 1968. Ageing may partly explain the increased incidence of BCC of the eyelid, whereas there were no differences in the SIRs for BCC of the eyelid between different social class and occupation categories in Finland.