Korean J Dermatol.  2021 Nov;59(9):676-684.

Analysis of 518 Patients Who Visited a Tertiary Medical Institution after Laser Treatment: A Study of Biopsy-Proven Cases

• Park JW
• Park HE
• Kim YH
• Han JH
• Bang CH
• Park YM
• Lee JH

Abstract

Background
As the use of laser therapy for skin lesions has increased significantly, laser treatment is performed in many cases without an accurate diagnosis.
Objective
This study aimed to analyze cases in which skin lesions recurred or remained after laser treatment by investigating the clinicopathological diagnosis.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed the patients who visited the Seoul Saint Mary’s hospital from January 2011 to December 2020, the clinical records of 518 cases of patient who had a history of laser treatment and underwent histopathological examination.
Results
The number and proportion of patients who visited the hospital showed a steadily increasing trend for 10 years. In 187 patients, the time between laser treatment and hospital visits was ＞1 year. The most common site of lesions was the face (66.2%), especially the cheek (29.3%) and nose (12.2%). Final diagnosis of the lesion yielded 59 cases (11.4%) of premalignant diseases and 55 cases (10.6%) of malignant tumors, and the rate increased with increasing age. The most common malignant tumor was basal cell carcinoma (69.1%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (14.5%) and malignant melanoma (12.7%).
Conclusion
In this study, we found that laser treatment for premalignant and malignant tumors is not rare. This study emphasizes that indiscriminate laser treatment should be avoided, and an accurate diagnosis and proper medical treatment by an experienced dermatologist are needed.

Keyword

Diagnostic errors; Laser treatment; Neoplasms; Premalignant disease