BACKGROUND: Morbidity from basal cell carcinomas is increasing worldwide. In Brazil there are no studies about morbidity rates of this type of cancer. OBJECTIVES: To determine morbidity and to analyze and classify the basal cell carcinomas diagnosed in the city of Blumenau, from 1980 to 1999, according to their major clinical and histological features. METHODS:The author reviewed the histopathological findings of two laboratories of the city of Blumenau, considering the variables sex, age, primary site and histological type. The morbidity rates were calculated using the number of basal cell carcinomas found and the annual population estimated from 1980 to 1999. RESULTS: A total of 5254 tumors were identified, with a higher incidence in females and in subjects older than 50 years. Primary site in exposed areas was predominant. Morbidity rates varied from 51.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants/year in 1980 to 225 cases per 100000 inhabitants in 1999. CONCLUSIONS: Basal cell carcinomas in Blumenau have distribution patterns similar to those reported in the literature regarding age, anatomical site and histological types. Morbidity rates of this tumor were found in the Brazilian literature.
Carcinoma, basal cell; Morbidity; Neoplasms
