Abstract

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a congenital condition causing hypo pigmentation of the hair, skin, and eyes. Albinism and solar radiation are established risk factors for skin cancer, the commonest being squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck in black Africans. We present four OCA patients with histologic diagnosis of skin cancer presented to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital from January, 2007 and December, 2008. These cases were compared with SCC and total skin malignancy seen during the same period. Forty-five patients presented skin malignancy during the study period. Four OCA patients (2 men and 2 women) with SCC accounted for 21.1% of SCC and 8.9% of skin malignancy. They ranged in age from 21 to 30 years (mean 25 years). All the lesions were on the head and neck. The tumours were excised with a recurrence in a man who also had adjuvant chemotherapy with poor response. During the evaluation period of the 7 and 12th months, the sites appeared healed with no evidence of recurrence in 3 patients. Albinism and exposure to solar radiation were identified as risk factors for skin cancer. Establishment of “albino support group” to finance early implementation of public education strategies on prevention and treatment is recommended.

Key words: Albinism, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), skin cancer.