Skin cancers in Madagascar: Where do we stand?

Abstract

Introduction: skin cancers are malignant keratinizing tumors of epidermal, melaninic or adnexal origin. These cancers are still little known. However they affect people living in Madagascar where the amount of sunshine remains very high with an impact that varies depending on the skin type. The purpose of our study was to determine the epidemio-clinical profile of skin cancers in Antananarivo. Methods: we conducted a retrospective descriptive study of skin cancers in the Department of Oncology of the Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona Hospital, Antananarivo over a period of seven years. It included patients with tumoral skin lesions confirmed by histological examination. Results: we collected data from 47 cases of skin cancers (male predominance; sex ratio 1.13). The average age of patients was 49.3 years. Farmers were the most affected. The lesions mainly occurred in the head, neck (44%) and lower limbs (42%). Localized skin cancers were detected in 61.7% of cases. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common skin cancer in Madagascar (37%), followed by the melanoma (21%) and the basal cell carcinoma (11%). Treatment was mainly based on surgery (74.19%). Conclusion: squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer in Madagascar, followed by melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Skin cancers affect mainly the young population and require appropriate management.