Skin Cancers in People with Albinism in Togo in 2019: Results of Two Rounds of National Mobile Skin Care Clinics

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and histological types of skin cancers in people with albinism (PWA) in Togo in 2019.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of medical records of PWA systematically examined during two mobile skin care clinics in 2019, as part of a programme for the prevention and management of skin cancers in these subjects. Results: During the study period, 280 (95.2%) of the 294 PWA consulted, had developed skin lesions. Of the 280 patients, the pathological reports from the medical records of 33 patients (11.8%) had concluded to keratinocytes skin cancers. The mean age of these 33 patients was 38.6±15.2 years and the sex-ratio was 1. Their occupations were mainly resellers (21.2%), traders (15.2%) and farmers (12.2%). In the 33 patients, 54 cases of keratinocytes skin cancers were identified, with some patients having more than one case or histological type. These 54 keratinocytes skin cancers were divided into 21 cases of invasive squamous cell carcinomas, 2 cases of Bowen’s disease and 31 cases of basal cell carcinomas. These keratinocytes skin cancers mainly occurred in the cephalic region (33 cases; 61.1%), the upper limbs (15 cases; 27, 8%) and the trunk (4 cases; 7.4%).Conclusion: The results of this study show a high prevalence of skin cancers among PWAs in Togo in 2019, only keratinocytes skin cancers. In addition, they illustrate the role of ultraviolet rays with regard to the localization of skin cancers and the occupations of patients. Popularization and compliance with photo protection measures, systematic and regular examination of the skin of these PWAs will allow early detection and treatment of these skin cancers.

The prevalence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in a population of patients with oculocutaneous albinism in Haiti

“…However, it very closely matches the average age of 34.7 from a study in Nigeria 3 . Overall, our data are consistent with the fact that patients with albinism develop NMSC at an earlier age compared with the surrounding communities, as measured in prior studies in Africa 1,12 . Also, in comparison with statistics of the general population in the USA, the average age of diagnosis for SCC and BCC is over 60 18 .…”

“…The average age of patients with NMSC in our study was 34.47 years. This is slightly lower than the study from Togo, which reported an average age of 38.6 1 . However, it very closely matches the average age of 34.7 from a study in Nigeria 3 .…”

“…Prior studies in other regions have reported similar findings. In Togo, a lower prevalence (11.8%) was reported, whereas a similar prevalence was described in Brazil (26%) and northern Tanzania (25%) 1,7 . In previous studies, SCC has been found to be more common than BCC in patients with albinism 2 .…”

“…Patients with OCA can develop various ocular findings (e.g., strabismus, nystagmus, photophobia) and cutaneous neoplastic processes (e.g., actinic keratoses [AK], basal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma). Many international studies have investigated the prevalence of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) or keratinocyte carcinomas, including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC), in patients with albinism 1–3 . However, to date, there are no studies of this nature in the Caribbean.…”

“…This, in combination with the lack of resources/education devoted to skin cancer prevention in Haiti, highlights the need for more emphasis on this issue. Such increased awareness of NMSC prevalence is even more important in patients with albinism who are diagnosed with NMSC at an earlier age and have a higher prevalence of NMSC relative to the rest of the surrounding communities 1–3,6–10 . For example, in Africa, the incidence of SCC is 1000 times higher for patients with albinism compared with the general population 11,12 …”