Study: BCC on ear much more aggressive

San Francisco - Basal cell carcinoma on the ear is more frequently found in men, and is significantly more likely to be aggressive, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, reviewed the 2009 database and analyzed data from 100 cases each of BCC on the cheek and on the ear. Researchers examined multiple data points, including tumor subtype and risk level. The results showed that 57 percent of BCC occurrences on the ear were high-risk, compared to only 38 percent on the cheek, HealthDay News reports.

Men also were significantly more likely than women to develop BCC on the ear, with nearly 80 percent of occurrences reported in men, compared with 53 percent of BCC cases on the cheek. BCC on the ear for both sexes was more likely to be aggressive.

The authors also cautioned that "biopsies on the ear of lesions suspicious for malignancy should ensure that an adequate specimen is obtained, as deeper, more aggressive subtypes may not be seen with superficial biopsy specimens."

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