title: Presence of residual basal cell carcinoma in re-excised specimens is more probable when deep and lateral margins were positive.
abstract: In order to quantify presence of residual BCC in patients with histologic positive margins after the first excision and to correlate the presence of residual tumor in re-excised lesions with the location of the positive margin on the first excision, a retrospective evaluation of 2053 surgically treated BCC was performed. Only 38.3% of the re-excised lesions showed residual tumor. In the group of re-excised lesions where residual BCC was found, 13% had lateral positive margin in the first excision, 39% had deep positive margin and 48% had both lateral and deep positive margins. In the group of re-excised lesions where no residual BCC was found, 49% of the primary excised lesions had lateral positive margin, 32% had deep positive margin and 19% had both deep and lateral positive margins. The association between residual tumor and positive margins was statistically significant (p = 0.01). Our findings confirm that presence of residual tumour is more likely when both lateral and deep margins are compromised.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: de Lorenzo Messina
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: de Almeida Pimentel
authors.forename: L G M
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Castro
mesh_terms: D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011336:Probability; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*