A decade of malignant skin disorders in Trinidad and Tobago - abstract

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews the incidence over a 10-year period (1962-1971) of pre-malignant and malignant conditions of the skin, and skin conditions associated with malignancy in Trinidad and Tobago. All cases seen in hospital as well as in private practice were included in this review. One hundred and twenty-six cases of skin conditions associated with or related to malignancy have been diagnosed. Basal cell carcinomas were the commonest conditions (63 cases) followed by solar keratoses (33 cases), and these conditions occurred almost exclusively in European types with only two basal cell carcinomas in patients who were obviously Negro or East Indian. This is in accordance with accepted fact that "factors such as racial origin and climatic conditions are involved in the relative frequency of occurrence" of these conditions. However, ten malignant were diagnosed in Negroes or East Indians, and it was striking that none were seen in European types. Finally, the small number of uncommon lesions mentioned in this paper does not allow for any significant conclusions, except that these conditions do also occur in Trinidad and Tobago (AU)