This retrospective study examined demographic risk factors for developing eyelid squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Study design

Using data from the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service, investigators identified all cases of eyelid SCC in England between 2000 and 2014.

Outcomes

Over the 15-year study period, there were 4,022 patients with newly diagnosed SCC affecting the eyelid. The age-standardized number of reported cases of eyelid SCC rose approximately 2% per year over the study period.

The risk for developing an eyelid SCC approximately doubled each decade after age 60. Men were at 1.9-times greater relative risk compared with women. The authors did not find any association between income quintile and risk of SCC.

Limitations

The cause for the increasing incidence of eyelid SCC was not studied. While age may represent one factor, others, such as an increasing rate of patients receiving immunosuppression therapies may also play a role. The study did not look at environmental factors, which could also be a factor in the development of eyelid SCC.

Clinical significance

The incidence of eyelid SCC in England appears to be rising. Rates of eyelid SCC appear to rise with the increasing age of the population at approximately 2% per year. Risk approximately doubles each decade after age 60, and the risk is approximately twice as high for men compared with women.