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

Abstract

Background Multiple studies have examined the prevalence of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC) in patients with oculocutaneous albinism (OCA). However, to date, no studies have examined this data in Caribbean populations.Methods This study is a cross-sectional study of 106 patients with OCA who were seen at the Oculocutaneous Albinism Clinic in Port-au-Prince and Gros Morne, Haiti, between the dates of February 2017 and June 2018. Results In our population, 31/106 (29%) patients were found to have NMSC, 10/31 (32%) had BCC, 12/31 (39%) had SCC, and 9/31 (29%) had both types of NMSC. The most common age groups were 31-40 years, with the overall range of ages being 18-63 years. Also, 60/106 (57%) of the patients had actinic keratoses (AK).Conclusions Our study provides new data examining the prevalence of NMSC within a population of patients with OCA in Haiti. Overall, it shows that patients with albinism develop NMSC at an earlier age compared with the rest of the population. Therefore, appropriate skin cancer screening and surveillance should be implemented within this highrisk population group.

Does Foveal Hypoplasia Affect Emmetropization in Patients with Albinism?

“…Patients with albinism have a fair complexion with hypopigmentation or no pigmentation of hair and skin. The hypopigmentation of skin increases the risk of skin cancers [2] especially in countries with high levels of ultraviolet radiation. Skin cancers are an important cause of increased mortality in African patients with albinism [3].…”