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Mohs surgery, wide local excision effectively treated sebaceous carcinoma

Patients with sebaceous carcinoma were effectively treated by Mohs micrographic surgery and wide local excision, according to recent study results.

Jerry D. Brewer, MD, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and colleagues retrospectively reviewed records from 52 patients with sebaceous carcinoma (SC; mean age at diagnosis, 72.7 years; 75% men, 94.2% white) from 1992 to 2012. The researchers also estimated recurrence-free survival.

 

Jerry D. Brewer

Muir-Torre syndrome was diagnosed in 21 patients (among 29 with known status). Patients had a combined 73 SCs; six patients had multiple primary SCs. The back (20.5%), cheek (13.7%), nose (11%) and eye (9.6%) were the most common SC locations.

Among 70 recorded SC treatments, 35 underwent Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) and 26 were treated with wide local excision (WLE). Forty-five patients with 66 SCs had clinical follow-up; three patients had a documented recurrence.

“Our study showed MMS to have a recurrence rate of one per 35, 5.95 years after diagnosis,” the researchers concluded. “For WLE, recurrence affected one per 24, 0.32 years after diagnosis, although regardless of treatment type, patients should have regular follow-up to assess for local recurrence. Further research and prospective study of larger and more ethnically diverse cohorts of patients over a longer period are needed to more fully understand the characteristics and treatment outcomes of SC.

“Because the local community from which these patients came was predominantly white, no conclusions can be drawn regarding the association between race and SC.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.