Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jan;5(1):10.13188/2373-1044.1000036.
doi: 10.13188/2373-1044.1000036. Epub 2017 Jan 10.

Clinical Characteristics of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers Recurring within 5 years after Mohs Micrographic Surgery: Single Institution Retrospective Chart Review

Tina Vajdi  1 , Robert Eilers  2 , Shang I Brian Jiang  2
Affiliations

Clinical Characteristics of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers Recurring within 5 years after Mohs Micrographic Surgery: Single Institution Retrospective Chart Review

Tina Vajdi et al. J Clin Investig Dermatol. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is used to treat certain high-risk non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) due to its high cure rate. However, clinical recurrences do occur in a small number of cases.

Objective: We examined specific clinical characteristics associated with NMSC recurrences following MMS.

Methods: We employed a retrospective chart review of the 1467 cases of NMSC that underwent MMS at UC San Diego from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009. A total of 356 cases were excluded due to lack of follow-up.

Results: Five (0.45%) of 1111 cases developed recurrences of NMSC at the site of MMS. There were 741 cases of basal cell carcinomas (BCC); 3 were recurrences (0.40%). There were 366 cases of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC); 2 were recurrences (0.55%). Review of MMS histopathology of these recurrent tumors showed that there were no errors or difficulty with the processing or interpretation of the slides.

Conclusion: Five-year recurrence rate of NMSC following MMS at our institution is below the reported average. Our retrospective chart review identified specific clinical characteristics associated with NMSC recurrence including a history of smoking, anatomical location on the cheeks, ears or nose, and a history of immunosuppression for SCCs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anatomical location of recurrent NMSC. 1a & 1b: SSC recurrence on left cheek. 2a & 2b: SCC recurrence on left ear. 3a & 3b: BCC recurrence on right nasal ala. 4a & 4b: BCC recurrence on left preauricular area. 5a & 5b: BCC recurrence on left mandibular area.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jemal A, Tiwari RC, Murray T, Ghafoor A, Samuels A, et al. Cancer statistics 2004. CA Cancer J Clin. 2004;54:8–29. - PubMed
    1. Stern RS. Prevalence of a history of skin cancer in 2007 results of an incidence-based model. Arch Dermatol. 2010;146:279–282. - PubMed
    1. Samarasinghe V, Madan V. Nonmelanoma skin cancer. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2012;5:3–10. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Trakatelli M, Ulrich C, del Marmol V, Euvrard S, Stockfleth E, et al. Epidemiology of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in Europe: accurate and comparable data are needed for effective public health monitoring and interventions. Br J Dermatol. 2007;156(Suppl 3):1–7. - PubMed
    1. Surdu S, Fitzgerald EF, Bloom MS, Boscoe FP, Carpenter DO, et al. Occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation and risk of non-melanoma skin cancer in a multinational European study. PLoS One. 2013;8:e62359. - PMC - PubMed