Premium
Histological evaluation of residual basal cell carcinoma after shave biopsy prior to Mohs micrographic surgery
Author(s) -
Alcalay J.,
Alkalay R.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2010.03881.x
Subject(s) - medicine , basal cell carcinoma , mohs surgery , biopsy , skin cancer , carcinoma , basal cell , surgery , dermatology , cancer , pathology
Background Patients who are referred for Mohs surgery after pre‐operative biopsy has been performed show in some cases no clinical or pathological evidence of tumour persistence. We have previously shown that 25% of these patients show no residual skin cancer either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. The reasons for ‘disappearance’ of the tumour may be true non‐persistence or false non‐persistence because of wrong‐site Mohs surgery. Objective To determine the incidence of residual basal cell carcinoma after shave biopsy of primary nodular basal cell carcinoma prior to Mohs micrographic surgery. Methods A prospective unblinded study was performed on patients undergoing Mohs surgery for primary nodular basal cell carcinoma. The tumour was removed as a shaved excision using a No. 15 blade at the clinical borders like a shave biopsy (Mohs shave). The bases of the tumors were excised and then sectioned vertically at the middle and cut to the periphery at 10–15 μm intervals till the edge. Results Fifty‐one patients were evaluated. In 40 patients, residual basal cell carcinoma was found at the base of the shave excision site (78.4%). Conclusions Pre‐operative shave biopsy performed during Mohs surgery for primary nodular basal cell carcinoma is ‘curative’ in 22% of the patients.