1973 Volume 35 Issue 3 Pages 216-224
The squamous cell carcinoma on the skin of head including face is known to have following clinical features: (1) its incidence rate is conspicuously high, a contrast to that of the squamous cell carcinoma on the skin of the other anatomical sites; (2) its lesions are apt to invade neighbouring important organs such as eye, ear, nose and brain; (3) wide surgical excisions are often difficult or impossible; (4) cosmetic problems dangle after operative therapy, specially in the lesions of face. With special reference to the above-mentioned points, a clinical survey of the total number of cases of the squamous cell carcinoma developed on the skin of head was performed by the clinical study of cases as well as the enquête investigation, with collaboration of the dermatological clinics of Kyushu University, Kumamoto University, Kagoshima University, Tokushima University and Yamaguchi University. There were 179 cases of the squamous cell carcinoma on the head skin treated in five dermatological clinics during the last ten years (1963-1972). These 179 cases consisted of 107 cases of male, 70 cases of female and 2 unknown cases. Incidence rate increased remarkably in number after over sixty years of age. Of these cases, 95 developed on normally appearing skin, 12 on burn scars, 3 on chronic radiodermatitis, 11 on xeroderma pigmentosum, 3 on senile keratoma, 7 on leucoplakia and 35 on miscellaneous precancerosis. Incidence rates in lip, nose and scalp were higher than those in the other sites. The rate in lower lip was higher than that in upper lip, and the rate in lower orbita higher than that in upper orbita. Analysis by TNM classification revealed that the cases were devided into 73 cases of T1, 65 of T2, 33 of T3, 8 of T4 and into 148 of N1n 26 of N3, 33 of N2 3 of N4, and that allcases were M0. Histopathological study showed that the cases were devided into 86 cases of grade 1,38 of grade 2,25 of grade 3 and 0 of grade 4, according to Broders grading of malignancy.
