Prevalence, recurrence, and cost burden of locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy in the UK.

e18247Background: Most BCCs, accounting for ≈75% of skin cancers in the UK, are treated effectively with surgery and/or radiotherapy. Limited data exist on the prevalence and burden of BCCs that become locally advanced (laBCC) and potentially not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy (NATSOR). In this analysis, the burden of laBCC(NATSOR) was evaluated based on UK population, patterns of recurrence, and per-patient cost. Methods: Linked records from primary (Clinical Practice Research Datalink) and secondary (Hospital Episode Statistics) care UK databases were used to extract demographic, medical history, prescription, and cost data for patients with BCC. In the absence of unique laBCC diagnosis codes, an exclusion-based patient identification algorithm was developed in collaboration with UK experts. Patients first treated for laBCC between Jan 2007-Dec 2012 with ≥ 2 years’ follow-up were indexed. Non-laBCC controls were propensity matched on year of birth and BCC diagnosis, sex, and comorbidities. Pairs in...