Publications (2)6.65 Total impact
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Article: Basal cell carcinomas without histological confirmation and their treatment: an audit in four European regions.
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ABSTRACT: Limited data are available on how often basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are clinically diagnosed without histological confirmation and how they are treated. Within the framework of the EPIDERM project, an audit was conducted in four European countries to study the occurrence of clinically diagnosed BCCs without histological confirmation and to investigate how these are treated. In the Netherlands, Scotland, Finland and Malta studies were performed within different timeframes. Patients with one or more BCC(s) were selected and the number of clinically diagnosed BCCs without histological confirmation and their treatment was investigated by (manually) reviewing the (electronic) patient records and checking the (hospital) pathology databases to find evidence of histological confirmation. In the Netherlands, 1089 patients with a first histologically confirmed BCC developed 1974 BCCs of which 1833 (92·9%) were histologically confirmed and 141 (7·1%) were not. A 4-month retrospective study conducted in Scotland selected 294 patients with 344 BCCs; 306 (89·0%) were histologically confirmed and 38 (11·0%) were not. A 3-month prospective study performed at the same centre in Scotland identified 44 patients who developed 58 BCCs; 44 (75·9%) of these were histologically confirmed and 14 (24·1%) were not. In Finland, there were 701 patients who developed 977 BCCs, of which 807 (82·6%) were histologically and 170 (17·4%) nonhistologically confirmed. In Malta, there were 420 patients with 477 BCCs. Only three (0·7%) of them were clinically diagnosed without histological confirmation. In the Netherlands and Finland, clinically diagnosed BCCs without histological confirmation were most often treated with cryotherapy, whereas in Scotland 5% imiquimod cream was the preferred treatment modality. Although the frequency of clinically diagnosed BCCs without histological confirmation differed between the four European regions (range 0·7-24·1%), this confirms that the burden of BCC in Europe is underestimated when based on data from pathology and/or cancer registries. Link to full-text publication: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2012.11092.x/pdfBritish Journal of Dermatology 08/2012; 167 Suppl 2:22-8. · 3.67 Impact Factor -
Article: Frequency of non-histologically diagnosed basal cell carcinomas in daily Dutch practice.
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ABSTRACT: Background Population-based basal cell carcinoma (BCC) incidences are based on cancer registry data; however, these only include histologically diagnosed tumours. Objectives First, to investigate the number of subsequent non-histologically diagnosed BCC(s) in patients with a first histologically diagnosed BCC in 2004. Secondly, to observe differences in tumour characteristics between subsequent histologically and subsequent non-histologically diagnosed BCC(s). Methods All patients, from four hospitals located in the serving area of the Eindhoven Cancer Registry, with a first histologically diagnosed BCC in 2004 (n = 1290) were selected. A linkage was made with PALGA, the nationwide network and registry of histo- and cytopathology, to obtain pathology reports of subsequent histologically diagnosed BCC(s) up to 1 November 2010. Patient records were extracted from the participating dermatology departments and reviewed up to 1 November 2010 to identify non-histologically diagnosed BCC(s). Results Overall, 33.2% of the 1089 followed up patients developed subsequent histologically and/or non-histologically diagnosed BCCs. In total, 1974 BCCs were observed of which 1833 were histologically and 141 were non-histologically diagnosed BCCs. The distribution of tumour site and subtype differed significantly between subsequent histologically and subsequent non-histologically diagnosed BCCs. Conclusions The total burden of BCC is underestimated by the absence of data on the occurrence of non-histologically diagnosed BCCs in daily dermatological practice. It is pivotal for Dutch healthcare policy makers to acknowledge this to make accurate BCC-related cost estimates.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 01/2012; · 2.98 Impact Factor
