Clinico-epidemiological characteristics and long-term surgical outcome of basal cell carcinoma treated with standard excision in patients of skin of colour: A retrospective study from Northern India

Background: There is scant data on basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in Indian patients. This retrospective study was conducted to explore epidemiology, risk factors, clinical and pathological aspects, and long-term treatment outcomes of BCC in a cohort of North Indian patients. Methods: Data about patients registered in the dermatosurgery clinic between 01 January 2017 and 31 December 2022 with a confirmed diagnosis of BCC was collected. Results: Among the 83 patients, 56.6% were females, and the median age was 62 years (6-85 years). Most patients (81.9%) had a single BCC lesion, resulting in a total of 126 assessed lesions. The median size of BCC at presentation was 1.90 cm, with nodular BCC being the most common histopathological subtype (39.7%). Head and neck region involvement was observed in 82.5% of patients, with the malar region, nose, and periorbital region being the most commonly affected sites. Pigmentation was clinically evident in 45.2% of cases. Surgical excision was the primary treatment modality (71.1% of patients). The median follow-up duration was 40 months (6-57 months). Recurrence occurred in five patients, with a longer disease-free survival period observed in the surgically treated group (55.58 +/- 0.98 months) compared to patients treated with medical or destructive therapies (43.6 +/- 3.482 months) (p = 0.003). Limitations: Include retrospective study design, potential for incomplete data, selection bias, relatively small sample size and short duration follow-up to know the recurrences. Conclusion: The data from this hospital-based study indicated a slight predilection for females among North Indian patients with BCC, with most cases occurring during their seventh decade of life. The condition commonly occurred on sun-exposed areas such as the malar region and nose, with a high percentage of pigmented lesions. Recurrence following surgical excision was rare, and overall treatment outcomes were favourable.