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Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is considered the most frequent skin cancer in Black people. Its incidence is not known in the Afro-Caribbean population., Objective: To assess the incidence of SCC in Guadeloupe, the largest island of the Lesser Antilles (405 000 inhabitants, mostly Black people of African and European descent). The second objective was to characterize clinical and histological patterns of SCC occurring in the Afro-Caribbean community., Methods: This retrospective study was conducted over an 11-year period (2000-2010). Data regarding 723 histological confirmed cases of SCC identified using the three Guadeloupean pathology laboratories' computerized databases were retrieved from the records of 551 patients. Private practice dermatologists and general practitioners were contacted to obtain any missing data., Results: The annual age-adjusted incidence of SCC was 15 per 100.000 residents in Guadeloupe. In the Afro-Caribbean community, SCC had a greater size (i.e. 2.8 ± 2.8 cm vs. 1.5 ± 1.0 cm, P < 0.001), was more often located on the anogenital area (i.e. 48/79-60.8% vs. 14/320-4.4%, P < 0.001) in association with an underlying dermatosis due to HPV infection (15/71-21.1% vs. 3/366, 0.8%, P < 0.001) and led more frequently to metastasis (13/84-15.5% vs. 10/366-2.7%, P < 0.001) and/or fatal evolution (11/83-13.3% vs. 7/365-1.9%, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: The results of this original study, which first estimated the incidence of SCC in West Indies, suggest that anogenital examination should be routinely performed in skin cancer screening of Afro-Caribbean people to detect the presence of SCC at an early stage., Implication for Practice: Squamous cell carcinoma is the most frequent skin cancer in Black people. Its incidence is not known in the Afro-Caribbean population. In Guadeloupe, the largest island of the Lesser Antilles, the annual age-adjusted incidence of SCC was estimated to be 15.0 per 100 000 residents, 95% CI:[13.8; 16.2]. In the Guadeloupean Afro-Caribbean community, SCC seems to more frequently occur in the anogenital area, due to HPV infection. These results support to include a routine genital urinary examination in the skin cancer screening of people of Afro-Caribbean descent., (© 2017 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Background: An association with cancer is described in 17-32% of cases of dermatomyositis (DM) and in 5-16% of cases of anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS). The literature contains very few studies involving Afro-Caribbean patients with DM or ASS. The aim of our retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of cancer in a series of patients with DM or ASS at the University Hospital of Pointe-à-Pitre between 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2012. The secondary objective was to review the clinical and laboratory features as well as the course of DM/ASS in these patients., Patients and Methods: The inclusion criteria were as follows: Afro-Caribbean origin; age >15 years; patient living in Guadeloupe; screening for malignancy., Results: Twenty-two patients were included (15 DM, 7 ASS). Only one case of cancer was diagnosed in the entire study population at a mean follow-up of 6 ± 4 years (prevalence: 6.7%, CI95% [1.7-31.9]). Of the 15 patients presenting DM (sex ratio F/M: 4, mean age: 45 ± 14 years), 6 (40%) had associated connective tissue disease., Conclusion: Our study suggests a weak association between DM and cancer in Afro-Caribbean patients. These results may be explained by the features of the disease seen in these patients (female gender, young age at onset, associated connective tissue disease) and the low prevalence in the Caribbean region of cancers typically associated with DM., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: There are no reported epidemiological data regarding autoimmune pemphigus in the Afro-Caribbean population., Objectives: To present the epidemiology of autoimmune pemphigus on the island of Guadeloupe (French West Indies, 400,736 inhabitants, mostly black Caribbean of African European descent)., Materials and Methods: Five-year prospective study. Inclusion of the incident cases when directly referred to the Dermatology Department or secondarily referred by their private practice dermatologist once identified by the computerized databases of the Guadeloupian pathology laboratories., Results: World-population-standardized incidence was 6.96 (95% CI: 3.41-10.52) for pemphigus vulgaris and 3.75 (95% CI: 1.12-6.39) for pemphigus foliaceus. Patients usually live in the rural countryside, whereas 75% of the population of Guadeloupe Island live in an urban environment., Conclusion: We report a high incidence of autoimmune pemphigus in Guadeloupe, especially for the foliaceus type, and the existence of particular epidemiological features such as the rural countryside habitat., (© 2013 The International Society of Dermatology.)