A retrospective comparative study of outcome with surgical excision and repair versus nonsurgical and ablative treatments for basal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND There are few studies on basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from India. Long-term follow-up is available in only one study and the aesthetic outcome of treatment has not been evaluated in Indian patients. AIMS In this retrospective study on BCC, we compared treatment failure, recurrence rates and aesthetic outcomes on long-term follow-up between surgical excision and repair, and nonsurgical and ablative treatments. METHODS Records of patients with BCC treated in the dermatologic surgery clinic over the past 10 years were analyzed. Patients with histopathologically confirmed BCC who could be contacted were evaluated for recurrence, treatment failure, overall satisfaction and aesthetic outcomes by global aesthetic improvement scale. RESULTS Out of 98 patients, 72 were contactable. Four patients received both nonsurgical and ablative treatments and surgical excision and repair sequentially and were excluded. The mean age of patients was 57.9 ± 15.8 years (24-90 years) and the male: female ratio was 1.6:1. The most common site involved was the face (72.1%) followed by trunk and scalp, and the most common type of BCC was the pigmented superficial type (33.8%), followed by the pigmented noduloulcerative type (16.2%). There was no significant difference between the groups in the number of high-risk cases. The mean follow-up period was 37.1 ± 31.4 (range, 4-120) months. Fifty one patients were treated with surgical excision and repair, and 17 with nonsurgical and ablative treatments (9-imiquimod, 5-cryotherapy, 4-radiotherapy). Treatment failure was seen in 5 (7.4%) patients, all in the nonsurgical and ablative treatments group (P = 0.0006). Recurrence was seen in 2 (2.9%) patients, both in the surgical excision and repair group (P > 0.05). Mean patient satisfaction was significantly higher with surgical excision and repair, though there was no significant difference in the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale between the groups. LIMITATIONS The sample size was low. Only telephonic and pictorial assessments were done where the patient could not come for follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Surgical excision and repair was associated with better outcomes than nonsurgical and ablative treatments. Treatment failures and adverse events were high with nonsurgical and ablative treatments. The recurrence rate was low.