Treatment of basal cell carcinoma with curettage alone.
BACKGROUND
Although curettage and electrodesiccation (C&E) is widely used to treat basal cell carcinoma, whether electrodesiccation improves outcome is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
We sought to compare cure rates of curettage alone with those of C&E.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective records review of patients treated with curettage alone at 5-year follow-up or longer that extracted data about tumor location, size, histologic subtype, biopsy specimen margin involvement, and recurrence, as well as data about the medical history of patients treated in a dermatology clinic in a tertiary-care academic medical institution.


RESULTS
Biopsy-proven tumors (302) amenable to treatment with C&E and treated by a single investigator with curettage alone had a 5-year cure rate of 96.03%, with minimal complications (hypopigmentation, scarring). Tumors involving more than 50% of the deep edge of the shave biopsy specimen had an increased risk of recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
This is a retrospective study based on historic controls.


CONCLUSIONS
For nonaggressive basal cell carcinoma, curettage alone has a cure rate similar to the published rates for C&E.
Barlow
James O
JO
Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona 85259, USA.
Zalla
Mark J
MJ
Kyle
Amber
A
DiCaudo
David J
DJ
Lim
Katherine K
KK
Yiannias
James A
JA
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D003475:Curettage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*