High prevalence of high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in the thrace region of Turkey

Background: The characteristics of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) may show differences according to the geographic distribution and ethnicity. Although most cSCCs are treated with surgical excision or other local interventions, high-risk cSCCs may have poor outcome. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics and determine the high-risk features of cSCCs in the Thrace region of Turkey where the information on cSCCs is scarce. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the biopsy-proven cSCCs diagnosed between the years 2014 and 2018, in a tertiary university hospital and evaluated the high-risk features. Results: A total of 211 cSCCs were included. Men with cSCC were significantly younger than women with cSCC (P <.001). Almost one-half of the tumors (n = 103) were located on the lower lip. Patients with a cSCC on the lower lip were younger than those with a cSCC on the other sites. All patients with a cSCC on the ears were men. Twenty-eight percent of patients had tumor size more than 20 mm and 28% had tumor thickness more than 6 mm. Immunosuppression was present in 7.6% of patients. A total of 177 (83.9%) patients had high-risk cSCC. The local recurrence rate was 6.2%, and the metastasis rate was 5.2%. Conclusions: The Thrace region has significant number of cSCC, and high-risk features are very frequent. Clinicians should carefully evaluate the cSCCs in terms of high-risk features.