Aim: Non-melanoma skin cancer cases in the European population are increasing. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common non-melanoma skin cancer of the eyelids and in the inner corner of the eyelid. Due to the latest statistics compiled and published in 2008 in the Slovak Republic (SR) there were registered 5,173 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer (C44 according to ICD-10) in both sexes together (of which women accounted for 51.2 %). The proportion of non-melanoma skin cancer accounted for 17.2 % (16.3 % of men and 18 % of women) of the total number of all reported cancer cases (n = 30,144). The aim of this study is to evaluate the number of clinical relapses in a group of patients.
Material: Retrospectively analyzed data from the medical records of patients with newly detected basal cell carcinoma in period between Jan. 1 2008 to Dec. 31 2013 who underwent surgery and outpatient follow-up at the Department of Ophthalmology and the University Hospital in Bratislava.
Methods: The incidence of relapse was evaluated up to date Dec. 31 2014. We followed the following parameters: location and tumor size, TNM classification, histopathological degree of differentiation, the edges of excised tissue and evaluated recurrence rate separately for each parameter. Statistics were analyzed by chi2 test, which was found to be significant for P < 0.05. The results of continuous parameters were expressed as arithmetic mean ± standard deviation.
Results: At the Department of Ophthalmology Faculty of Medicine and UNB, Ruzinov Hospital, in Bratislava, in the period 2008 - 2013 were treated 219 basal cell carcinomas in 217 patients and basal cell carcinoma was histologically confirmed. Basal cell carcinomas were divided into groups according to the stage: G1 (n = 139), G 1-2 (n = 41) and G 2 (n = 39). Localization was more frequent on left side (n = 112) compared to the right one (n = 107). We recorded significantly lower incidence (n = 5) in the area - angulus externus, prevalent occurrence was in the inner area - angulus internus (n = 65). The incidence in the lower eyelid (palpebra inferior) was recorded more frequently (n = 127) as in the upper eyelid (palpebra superior) - (n = 24). During these six years period we have seen 11 recurrences (5.02 %). Exenteration of the orbit was indicated in 5 cases (2.7 %).
Conclusion: When monitoring patients with newly detected eyelid basal cell carcinoma, operated at the Department of Ophthalmology Faculty of Medicine and UNB in period 2008-2013, incidence of recurrence was recorded in 11 cases, accounting for 5.02 %, which is about one percentage point lower share than in the previous reporting period from period 2005 -2007 from the same Department. The occurrence of relapses corresponds to those in the literature. None of the clinical parameters statistically did affect significantly the incidence of relapses.