Mustafa ÜRÜN, Gizem KARAPINAR, Merve BAĞIŞ, Yıldız Gürsel ÜRÜN, Nuray CAN
Journal of Academic Research in Medicine - 2026;16(2):79-85
Objective: To evaluate the demographic, clinical, and histopathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with keratoacanthoma (KA) and to identify features that may aid in distinguishing benign KA from KA with malignant transformation. Methods: This retrospective study included 115 patients with histopathologically confirmed KA who underwent total excision. Demographic, clinical, and histopathological data were reviewed and analyzed. Statistical comparisons were performed to identify parameters differentiating benign KA from KA with malignant transformation. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.1+/-14.8 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.3:1. Solitary KA was the most common clinical presentation (n=114, 99.1%), with lesions predominantly located in the head and neck region (n=88, 76.5%). Histopathological evaluation revealed features of malignant transformation in 36.5% (n=42) of cases. Maximum tumor diameter and depth of invasion were significantly greater in cases exhibiting malignant transformation (p=0.012 and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that histopathological parameters, rather than clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, are more strongly associated with malignant transformation in KA.
