A Clinicopathological Study of Facial Basal Cell Carcinoma Treated by Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Kim, Eun Jung; Yun, Sook Jung; Lee, Jee Bum; Kim, Seong Jin; Won, Young Ho; Lee, Seung Chul

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The incidence of basal cell carinoma (BCC) has increased in the last decade and is still increasing. Many treatment modalities have been used to treat BCC. Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is a specialized type of minimal marginal surgery that offers cure rates superior to other options in the treatment of skin cancers, including BCC.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to report our experience of MMS for the treatment of facial BCC and to identify clinical and histological characteristics of BCC treated by MMS.
METHODS
We analyzed 43 cases of BCC treated by MMS at the Department of Dermatology, Chonnam NationalUniversity Hospital in Gwangju between March 2003 and September 2005.
RESULTS
The mean duration of BCC was 2.5 years, and the mean size was 11.6 mm. The most frequent clinical type of BCC was the pigmented type (44.2%), followed by noduloulcerative (34.9%), and morpheaform type (20.9%). The most common site was the nose (58.1%), followed by the lip (14.0%), eyelid (9.3%), and cheek (7.0%). The most frequent histologic pattern was the nodulocystic type (39.5%), followed by the infiltrative (18.6%), microcystic (11.6%), mixed (11.6%), metatypical (9.3%), and the adenoid type (9.3%). The local flap was the most common method to repair surgical defects (67.4%), followed by primary closure (25.6%), and skin graft (7.0%). None of the cases recurred during 15.2 months (range: 1.5 to 30 months) follow up.
CONCLUSION
Further study will be required for the difference in the rate of curability according to the type of facial BCC treated by MMS.