Objectives: Cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions often go unnoticed or disregarded, yet they can harbor malignant potential. These seemingly innocuous bumps and lumps vary in size and nature, necessitating thorough evaluation by health care professionals. In this study encompassing 9,202 day-surgery procedures, we sought to elucidate the malignancy risk associated with cutaneous/subcutaneous lesions.

Materials and Methods: Conducted as a descriptive case-control investigation, our study enrolled patients undergoing excision for such lesions from 2009 to 2018. Patients were stratified into study (malignancy confirmed by histopathology) and control groups. Comprehensive data collection included demographic profiles, pathology reports, surgical details, and follow-up outcomes.

Results: Analysis of 9,202 excision procedures involving 8,962 patients revealed epidermal/tricholemmal cyst as the most prevalent lesion type (34.5%), followed by lipomas (21.8%). Malignancies were identified in 1.1% of cases, predominantly affecting older individuals (mean age: 60.3 ± 16.2 years). While malignancy incidence correlated with advancing age, no significant gender disparity was observed (p < 0.001 and p = 0.353, respectively).

Conclusion: Our findings underscore the imperative of vigilance toward cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions, as they may harbor malignancy. Timely assessment by health care providers is paramount to promptly identify and manage potentially malignant lesions. With malignancy detected in over 1% of cases, our study emphasizes the necessity for meticulous evaluation and appropriate intervention strategies to mitigate associated risks effectively.

F.B., A.A., İ.K. contributed to the concept and design of the study; data acquisition; statistical analysis; F.B., A.A., H.T., Y.K.Ç. interpreted the results; analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. All authors critically revised the manuscript, approved the final version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

The study was performed according to the Helsinki Declaration, and institutional review board approval was obtained. All the patients and/or their patients/guardian signed a general consent form allowing anonymous use of data for education, research, and quality improvement. The authors confirm that data were collected retrospectively and anonymously in the medical institution according to personal data privacy rules. This study does not contain identifying information of the patients.

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Health Sciences, Umraniye Education and Research Hospital (Approval Number/Date: B.10.1.TKH.4.34.H.GP.0.01/245/2024).

STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines were used when reporting this observational study.

Received: 04 April 2024

Accepted: 26 July 2024

Article published online:
10 September 2024

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