Assessment of therapeutic efficacy in seven cases of basal cell carcinoma in the ear and nose region treated with new surgical excision and immediate photodynamic therapy

Abstract

BackgroundBasal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most prevalent non-melanoma skin tumor. It commonly affects exposed areas. Currently, surgical resection is considered the primary approach for BCC treatment. However, BCC frequently affects exposed facial areas, leading to visible scars after surgery. PDT has garnered increasing recent attention, demonstrating superior efficacy and favorable cosmetic outcomes for superficial BCCs. However, it shows limited treatment effectiveness for deep-seated tumors. Most of the current literature focuses on the combination of surgery and postoperative PDT, while no studies have reported on the use of standard surgical excision with intraoperative margin pathological monitoring and immediate PDT. Therefore, we implemented a treatment protocol combining surgery and immediate PDT. Accordingly, this paper aimed to explore the effectiveness, cosmetic outcomes, and other relevant advantages of this therapeutic approach. MethodsWe aimed to evaluate this approach in seven patients with BCC on the nose and ears. Standard surgical excision of skin lesions was performed, with intraoperative frozen section examination of the margins, followed by immediate postoperative PDT for the wounds, and continued periodic PDT during the second phase of wound healing. ResultsAll seven cases demonstrated significant improvement. The cosmetic rating was 100 % and no cases of recurrence existed among the seven patients. ConclusionsThis approach effectively minimized the surgical wound, improved tumor clearance, achieved precise therapeutic effects, and reduced the recurrence rate. Moreover, it produced favorable cosmetic outcomes.