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Review
. 2024 Jun 28;16(13):2394.
doi: 10.3390/cancers16132394.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Sven Zürcher  1 , Zora Martignoni  1 , Robert E Hunger  1 , Michael Benzaquen  1 , S Morteza Seyed Jafari  1
Affiliations
Review

Mohs Micrographic Surgery for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Sven Zürcher et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: The first-line treatment of the localized form of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) remains surgical excision. Either conventional excision (CE) with margins or Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) may be preferred, depending on the risk factors of cSCC, the characteristics of the tumor, and the available technical facilities.

Methods: This article presents a systematic review of the current literature spanning from 1974 to 2023, comparing outcomes of cSCC treated with MMS versus cSCC treated with conventional excision.

Results: Out of the 6821 records identified through the database search, a total of 156 studies were screened, of which 10 were included in the review. The majority of the included studies showed that treatment of cSCC with MMS consistently exhibits a significantly lower risk of recurrence compared to treatment with CE. In addition, MMS is emerging as the preferred technique for the resection of cSCC located in aesthetically or functionally challenging anatomical areas.

Conclusion: The studies generally demonstrate that MMS is a safer and more effective treatment of cSCC than CE. Nevertheless, outcomes such as recurrence rates and cost-effectiveness should be assessed more precisely, in order to allow for a more tailored approach in determining the appropriate indication for the use of MMS.

Keywords: Mohs surgery; non-melanoma skin cancer; recurrence; squamous cell carcinoma; standard excision.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of information during the different phases of systematic review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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