Evaluation of the diagnosis and treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer and its impacts on the prevention habits in a specific population of southeastern Brazil

Aim: The non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common cancer in humans. Diagnosis is clinical and treatment is based on complete surgical excision and histopathologic confirmation. Perceptions of risk and preventive behavior after treatment are relatively unknown. This study was aimed at evaluating the accuracy of NMSC diagnosis compared with anatomopathological, and the effectiveness of surgical treatment and NMSC prevention methods in a specific population. Method: Twenty-five patients that underwent 42 resections of skin lesions clinically diagnosed as NMSC were assessed in relation to factors that are specific to these lesions (evolution time, size and histological type), surgical treatment, postoperative follow-up (relapses and/or new lesions), knowledge and previous use of prevention methods and impact of the diagnosis and treatment on the prevention habits.Result: All patients had a history of unprotected sun exposure. Most lesions were observed on fair-skinned individuals (classes I to III according to Fitzpatrick). The overall diagnostic accuracy was 76.19%. There were ten new lesions and only one case of relapse during follow-up. Only eight patients reported sporadic use of preventive methods after the clinical diagnosis and treatment of injuries.Conclusion: Diagnostic accuracy was considered satisfactory. Surgical treatment with pre-determined safety margins was effective in most cases. Diagnosis and surgical treatment have not determined a positive impact on the adoption of preventive measures.