Basal Cell Carcinoma is as Common as the Sum of all Other Cancers: Implications for Treatment Capacity

Abstract

Reliable estimates of disease incidence are fundamental to planning future healthcare services. However, in many countries registration of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is often non-existent. This study examines how many BCC treatments were carried out in Denmark in 2013. The Danish Cancer Registry and the Danish Pathology Registry were used to examine how many BCC treatments were registered, and a test sample was taken from Bispebjerg Hospital to examine the number treated but not registered. The study showed that 21.7% of BCC treatments were performed solely on a clinical diagnosis. Furthermore, some records are inadequate in relation to BCC registration, as BCCs treated are 3 times the number of individuals in the Danish Cancer Registry, and there are nearly as many BCCs as the sum of all other cancers. The increasing BCC incidence will result in difficulties in ensuring treatment capacity.