No abstract

This is the third report in a series that reviews the experience in the Skin and Cancer Unit, from 1955 through 1982, with the treatment of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). It concerns 588 previously untreated (primary) BCCs removed by surgical excision. The cumulative 5-year recurrence rate was 4.8%. This is a statistically significant lower recurrence rate (P = .034) than 135 previously treated BCCs that had a re-recurrence rate of 11.6%. For the primary BCCs, multivariate analysis showed that location on the head (P = .010) and being male (P = .004) were independent risk factors for recurrence. The patient's age, the duration of the BCC, its maximum diameter, or the time span (1955-1963, 1964-1972, 1973-1982) in which it was treated did not significantly affect the recurrence rate. The 5-year recurrence rate for BCCs excised from various anatomic sites were as follows: 1) neck, trunk, and extremities = 0.7%; 2) head--less than 6 mm in diameter = 3.2%; 3) head--6 to 9 mm in diameter = 8.0% (treated since 1964 = 5.2%); and 4) head--10 mm or more in diameter = 9.0%. Surgical excision is a highly effective method for removal of BCCs, and achieved a good to excellent cosmetic outcome in about 85% of the recurrence-free treatment sites.

This is the second article in a series that reviews the experience in the Skin and Cancer Unit, from 1955 through 1982, with the treatment of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). This report deals with 2314 previously untreated (primary) BCCs removed by curettage-electrodesiccation. Multivariate analysis showed that increasing lesion diameter (P less than .001), high-risk anatomic sites (nose, paranasal, nasal-labial groove, ear, chin, mandibular, peri-oral, and peri-ocular areas) (P less than .001), middle-risk anatomical sites (scalp, forehead, pre- and post-auricular, and malar areas) (P less than .001), and time-span treated (1955 to 1963) (P = .012) were independent risk factors for high recurrence rates. The patient's age, sex, and lesion duration before treatment did not affect the recurrence rates. In order to best illustrate our current experience with BCCs, the last time-span (1973 to 1982) was examined in detail. For the low-risk sites (neck, trunk, and four extremities), BCCs of all diameters responded well to curettage-electrodesiccation with an overall 5-year recurrence rate of 3.3% (SE = 1.5%) determined by the modified life-table method. In the middle-risk sites BCCs less than 10 mm in diameter had a recurrence rate of 5.3% (SE = 2.7%). Finally, in the high-risk sites, lesions less than 6 mm in diameter had a recurrence rate of 4.5% (SE = 2.6%). Thus, BCCs less than 6 mm in diameter, regardless of anatomic site, as well as selected larger BCCs depending on their anatomic site, are effectively treated by currettage-electrodesiccation.