Original articleCutaneous squamous cell carcinomas of the lower extremity: A distinct subset of squamous cell carcinomas

BackgroundSome patients develop a disproportionate number of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) on their lower extremity (LE).ObjectiveWe sought to characterize the clinical features, treatment, and outcome in patients who develop multiple LE SCCs.MethodsWe identified 22 patients with 4 or more biopsy-diagnosed LE SCCs during a 4.5-year study period. The location, size, treatment, and clinical outcome of each LE SCC were recorded.ResultsOf the 22 patients studied, 18 were female. Of the 360 SCCs our patients developed, 260 (72.2%) were on the LE. The incidence of SCCs in these patients was nearly 7 times greater than the incidence of basal cell carcinoma in the same patients.LimitationsThe number of patients is small and limits definitive conclusions about prevalence of SCCs on the LE in the general population.ConclusionsLE SCCs are a distinct subset of cutaneous SCCs and may have distinctive clinical features and biologic behavior requiring additional study.