Epidemiological Clinical Characterization of Basal Cell Carcinoma in Patients Receiving HeberFERON Treatment

Abstract

Introduction: Basal cell carcinoma is known as a tumor with limited malignancy or with little risk of metastasizing, located in the skin epithelium.

Objective: To characterize patients with basal cell carcinoma under HeberFERON treatment from a clinical epdemiological point of view.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in patients with a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma. The universe consisted of 86 patients and a sample of 79 was selected according to the researcher’s non probabilistic selection criteria. The study was conducted in the Dermatology Department of “Miguel Enríquez” Clinical Surgical University Hospital, during the period from Decembar 2018 to December 2020.

Results: Patients between 71 and 80 years (27.85%) and men (65.90%) predominated. Sun exposure of these patients was prevalent in 68.30%, and type II phototype in 64.54%. In 25.32% the lesions were located on the cheek. The most frequent clinical and histological diagnosis was in the nodular clinical subtype (59.49%). Treatment response was effective in 70.88% of patients with nodular clinical subtype. The most frequent adverse reaction attributable to treatment was pain at the injetion site (70.90%).

Conclusions: Male patients between 71 and 80 years of age predominated with a phototype II. Most of them reported sun exposure as a risk factor, and the most frequent location was the cheek. Nodular form predominated in more tan half of the cases, and the response to treatment with HeberFERON was effective in most of the patients studied.