Clinicohistopathological Study of Recurrent Basal Cell Carcinomas after Surgical Excision

Lee, Jong Sun; Yi, Ji Hyun; Yun, Seok Kweon; Kim, Han Uk; Ihm, Chull Wan

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Basal cell carcinoma in Korea is the most common skin cancer and its incidence is increasing at a steady rate. It is not unusual for dermatologists to experience the recurrence of tumor after surgery but there is no data on recurrent basal cell carcinoma in Korea.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this retrospective survey was to determine the clinical and histopathological characteristics of recurrent basal cell carcinoma after surgical excision in Korean patients.
METHODS
We analyzed clinical findings and histopathologic subtypes of 21 cases of recurrent basal cell carcinoma after surgical excision among 480 cases diagnosed between January of 1980 and December of 2006 at the Department of Dermatology, Chonbuk National University Hospital.
RESULTS
Overall recurrence rate was 4.38%. The average interval between the surgical excision of the primary tumor and recurrence was 40.8 months. The mean age of the patients was 65.1 years old and the ratio of men to women was 1 : 2. The most frequent location of the tumor recurrence was the nose and the mean size was 1.2 cm. There were no immunocompromised patients with underlying disorders, but two patients had taken corticosteroid for an extended period of time. The most common histological subtype of the primary and the recurrent basal cell carcinoma was nodular type. Six cases of primary basal cell carcinomas of nodular type transformed to aggressive subtype when they recurred. Perineural involvement of the primary basal cell carcinoma was found in 5 cases.
CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates the clinicopathological features of recurrent basal cell carcinoma in the Korean population and we hope this data would be of help to dermatologists when treating Korean patients with basal cell carcinoma.