Periauricular Basal Cell Carcinoma: Distribution and Surgical Treatment
Posted: Friday, January 15, 2021
According to the results of a retrospective chart review published in OTO Open, basal cell carcinoma commonly occurs in the periauricular region, or in and around the external ear. Gregory Basura, MD, PhD, of Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, and colleagues noted that these high-risk occurrences are associated with unique resection difficulties, often requiring multiple surgical methods.
The study included 71 patients with periauricular basal cell carcinoma who had undergone surgical treatment between 2000 and 2016. The majority of lesions were auricular (80.3%; n = 57), with 26 occurring in the conchal bowl (36.6%); 15, in the helix (21.1%); 4, in the peritragus (5.6%); 2, in the external auditory canal (2.8%); and 1 each, in the antihelix, the triangular fossa, and the lobule skin (1.4%, respectively). Preauricular (n = 2) and postauricular (n = 12) lesions also occurred. Patients underwent surgical treatments including wide local excision (80.3%), partial auriculectomy (8.5%), and total auriculectomy or a combination approach (11.3%).
Overall, 37 patients (52.1%) were successfully treated with initial resection, whereas 18 (25.4%) underwent further surgery. A total of 9 patients (12.7%) “demonstrated final positive/overturned margins read as negative from the frozen sections.” Most patients underwent superficial skin grafts (29.6%), full-thickness skin grafts (25.4%), or local flap reconstruction (25.4%). A total of 4 patients (5.6%) experienced a combination of free flap and/or additional reconstruction methods, and 10 patients (14.1%) were not treated by reconstruction.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
