Epidemiological Study of Facial Malignancy Tumor in People with Albinism (PWA) in Togo

Introduction: Hypersensitivity of the skin of PWA to ultraviolet rays, resulting from insufficient melanin production, exposes them to precancerous and cancerous lesions. The head is highly exposed and remains the body part most prone to these skin lesions. Objective: To describe cancerous and precancerous skin lesions of the head in Togolese PWA through a retrospective study. Patients and Methods: Mobile screening and treatment campaigns for cancerous and precancerous skin lesions were conducted in 17 cities in Togo between 2019 and 2021. The medical records of PWA with at least one head lesion were included. Sociodemographic, clinical, histopathological, and therapeutic data were collected and processed. Results: Seventy-eight patients, including 28 women and 50 men, were involved, representing a sex ratio of 1.8. The mean age was 32.64 ± 14.64 years. The frequency of lesions of the head and neck was 66.10%. The face was affected in 68.7%, with the auriculotemporal region particularly affected in 24.3%. Clinically, nodular, ulcerated, budding, and crusting lesions represented 36.9%, 30.6%, 4.4%, and 24.8%, respectively. Histopathology revealed SCCs in 34.8% and BCCs in 26.1%. Actinic keratoses represented 14.8%. Excisional biopsy under local anesthesia was performed in 92.2%. Discussion: Skin tumors of the head and neck in Togolese PWA were dominated by squamous cell carcinomas. Raising awareness of good photoprotection practices could reduce the occurrence of skin tumors in African albinos.