Site Editor
Soo Park, MD
Soo Park, MD
Posted: Friday, September 27, 2024
According to a study published in the Journal of Wound Care, therapeutic intervention with Mohs micrographic surgery may be a suitable gold-standard treatment for patients with high-risk basal cell carcinoma. However, if Mohs micrographic surgery is not a feasible option, treatment with standard excision and a 6-mm, predetermined margin should be implemented, explained Edoardo Cammarata, MD, of the University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy, and colleagues.
“In particular, Mohs micrographic surgery is recommended for nodular primary basal cell carcinoma in highly functional and aesthetic areas, such as the H-zone of the face, ill-defined or morpheiform clinical forms, and confirmed aggressive histology or recurrent basal cell carcinoma,” emphasized the study authors.
From 2016 to 2019, a total of 96 patients with high-risk basal cell carcinoma were recruited for the study. Patients were treated with Mohs micrographic surgery until histologically confirmed disease-free margins were obtained. During the procedure, safety margins, hypothetical standard excision safety margins, and the tumor’s residual final breech were documented.
The study findings revealed a 28.0% decrease in the amount of healthy skin removed when patients were treated with Mohs micrographic surgery compared with standard excision techniques. When standard excision with a 6-mm safety margin was used as the primary treatment modality, complete excision was observed 86.5% of the time. Furthermore, no significant association was identified between increased margins and a complete excision. Moreover, disease recurrence was noted in 4.4% of patients after treatment with Mohs micrographic surgery.
The investigators acknowledged their study’s limitations. It was limited to a single secondary referral center and lacked a randomized control group. In addition, the study was limited both by the low number of patients and the lack of long-term follow-up data.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
JNCCN Spotlights
Resources
For your Patients
