Fewer basal cell carcinomas treated following COVID-19

Fewer basal cell carcinomas were treated after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, with those being treated having a higher histopathological upgrade rate, according to a study.

A retrospective chart review presented at the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery annual meeting compared the number of patients at Washington University in St. Louis undergoing Mohs surgery before and after the WHO’s COVID-19 pandemic declaration.

The study also compared stages, time from initial biopsy to surgery, histology of the tumors and incidence of upgrading, Remi Hamel, MD, said.

The CMS recommended delaying elective or nonessential surgeries after the pandemic declaration.

In-person visits in the 60 days before the pandemic declaration totaled 800, while only 338 occurred in the 60 days after the declaration.

The total number of tumors treated in the first time period was 372 compared with 231 in the second time period. In addition, the histopathological upgrade rate was 10.82% during the second period compared with 6.18% in the first period.

“There was a relative decrease in the number of basal cell carcinomas treated in period two,” Hamel said. “And those that were treated had a higher histopathological upgrade rate, reflecting prioritization of the highest-risk tumors during the pandemic.”