Abstract
Keratoacanthoma is a benign, relatively common and rapidly growing tumour, arising from the pilosebaceous follicles. If left to run its natural course, it regresses spontaneously, leaving behind an unsightly scar. Fair-complexioned persons living under conditions of sun exposure or in industrial zones are most likely candidates, whereas African black people and Japanese are not prone to this disorder. It is commoner in the middle-age and the elderly; males are afflicted 2-3 times more than females. The ratio of squamous cell carcinoma to keratoacanthoma ranges, according to the literature, from 2:1 to 4.8: 1. In Greek patients, however, it was found to be 10: 1. These differences may reflect the frequency variance of squamous cell cancer in different parts of the world, and also the difficulty sometimes in distinguishing keratoacanthoma histologically from the early stages of squamous cell carcinoma.
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Further reading
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Danopoulou, I. (2003). Keratoacanthoma. In: Katsambas, A.D., Lotti, T.M. (eds) European Handbook of Dermatological Treatments. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-07131-1_47
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-07131-1_47
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