title: Incomplete excision of basal cell carcinoma in the subunits of the nose.
abstract: Reconstructive procedures after resection of nasal basal cell carcinoma (BCC) vary depending on the subunit involved. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of the location of the BCC on the rate of incomplete excisions, so we made a retrospective analysis of all nasal BCC excised at our hospital between 2002 and 2005. The incomplete excision rate was 24/148 (16%). More incomplete excision occurred on the alae (n=13) when compared to the dorsum (n=2) of the nose (p<0.05). Eight two-staged procedures resulted in incomplete resection, whereas 9 (6%) frozen section analyses were false-negative. BCC were most likely to be incompletely excised on the nasal tip and alae, and both subunits required more elaborate reconstructions. This, however, was not the result of poor estimation of the extent of the tumour and reluctance to excise more challenging areas widely for reconstruction, but to the method chosen to eradicate the tumour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Reto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wettstein
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Erba
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Farhadi
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Kalbermatten
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haug
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pierer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005629:Frozen Sections; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies