Incidence of Eyelid Cancers in Singapore‐ A 13‐year Review

Purpose To determine the epidemiology of patients with eyelid malignancies in Singapore from 1996 to 2008 Methods The Singapore Cancer Registry has been collecting epidemiologic data of all cancers seen in Singapore since 1968. The epidemiology of eyelid cancers diagnosed from 1968 to 1995 have previously been reported by Lee et al. The data of all eyelid cancers from 1996 to 2008 was retrieved for analysis. The age standardized incidence rates and age‐specific incidence rates were calculated and the results were compared to the previous study Results There were a total of 160 male patients (48%) and 173 female patients (52%). The average annual age‐standardised incidence rate among male Singapore residents was 5.2 per 1,000,000 and 5.1 per 1,000,000 among female Singapore residents. Between 1996 to 1998, the average annual rate for females was 6.6 per 1,000,000, compared to 3.9 between 2005 to 2008. The most common cancer was basal cell carcinoma (82%), follwed by sebaceous adenocarcinoma (11%) and squamous cell carcinoma (4%) Conclusion The annual age‐ standardized incidence rates for male residents have remained relatively stable. The rates for female residents have showed a steady decline over the last 13 years. The rates for males are generally higher than for females. Basal cell carcinoma dominates the incidence trends. These expanded epidemiological characteristics serve to provide ophthalmologists and epidemiologists with a foundation to monitor future disease patterns in Singapore and provide a basis for comparison with other selected populations elsewhere