This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Slow Mohs for basal cell carcinoma yields good cosmesis, low 5-year recurrence rate
Br J Ophthalmol. 2009;93:474-476.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Mohs micrograph surgery with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections, or slow Mohs, proved comparable to standard Mohs surgery in treating periocular basal cell carcinoma, according to a study.
"While delayed closure does not appear to compromise cosmetic outcome, this technique offers a histologically superior and cheaper alternative to frozen-section Mohs surgery," the study authors said.
The prospective, interventional series included 287 periocular basal cell carcinomas in 278 patients treated with slow Mohs between 1985 and 1999. The leading indication for slow Mohs surgery was critical tumor location. Primary outcome measures included 5-year recurrence rates and cosmetic outcomes. Investigators analyzed 5-year follow-up data for 173 cases.
Study results showed periocular basal cell carcinoma recurring in one patient after surgery and a 5-year recurrence rate of 0.58%. Cosmetic outcomes were rated excellent in 56% of cases, good in 18%, adequate in 8% and unknown in 14%. Revision surgery was recommended in 4% of cases, the authors said.
"The low 5-year recurrence rate ... confirms the importance of margin-controlled removal of recurrent, poorly defined or critically sited [basal cell carcinomas], and illustrates that slow Mohs is equivalent to standard Mohs," they said.