Purpose: This study provides a population-based report on eyelid skin cancer epidemiology showing trends in its incidence and survival in South Korea.
Methods: For this population-based epidemiological study, nationwide cancer incidence data were obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry, covering the entire population. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASRs) and annual per cent changes (APCs) were calculated according to sex, histological types, stage, and date of diagnosis. The 5-year relative survival rates (RSRs) were estimated for patients diagnosed between 1993 and 2016.
Results: The ASR increased from 0.27 per 100,000 population in 1999 to 0.61 in 2016, with an APC of 4.94%. The most common histopathological type was basal cell carcinoma (BCC), accounting for 67.5% of all eyelid skin cancers during 1999-2016, followed by sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC, 10.7%), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, 10.6%). The number of localised cancer diagnoses tended to increase, compared to that of distant cancer. The 5-year RSR was nearly 100% when considering all eyelid skin cancers together. When considering them separately, the 5-year RSR of BCC was nearly 100% throughout, whereas for SGC and SCC, it gradually increased from 94.2% and 87.7% (1993-1995), respectively, to nearly 100% (2011-2016) for both. Melanoma had the lowest survival, although its survival has increased markedly since 1993.
Conclusions: Nationwide data used in this study showed an increase in incidence and survival rates of eyelid skin cancers in Korea. BCC was the most predominant type, and its proportion among all eyelid skin cancer cases has increased.
Keywords: Eyelid; basal cell carcinoma; incidence; melanoma; sebaceous gland carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma.