Dermoscopic monitoring of tazarotene treatment of basal cell carcinoma

Abstract

We evaluated the effectiveness of topical tazarotene for the treatment of superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and assessed the usefulness of dermoscopy in monitoring the clinical response. Forty-one superficial BCCs were treated with topical tazarotene 0.1% gel applied once-daily for a maximum period of eight months. Dermoscopic features before treatment included arborizing vessels in 31 (70.4%) lesions, ulceration in 29 (66%), multiple blue-gray globules in 14 (31.8%), large blue-gray ovoid nests in 6 (13.6%), leaf-like areas in 5 (11.4%) and spoke wheel areas in 4 (9.1%) lesions. In successfully treated lesions (24 of 41 BCCs; 58.5%), dermoscopic evaluation revealed a progressive reduction of BCC-specific features until a complete disappearance. In addition, recurrence in a very early stage could be detected by dermoscopy in 2 of 24 successfully treated BCCs. In conclusion, tazarotene may represent an adjunctive topical treatment for superficial BCC, and dermoscopy is a valid technique for monitoring its clinical efficacy as well as recurrence in a very early stage.