Surgical excision of non-melanoma skin cancer: no end in site?

Abstract

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common type of cancer in the UK and Ireland, accounting for approximately 20% of all new malignancies recorded, with evidence of increasing incidence. Surgical excision is regarded as the gold standard treatment for such lesions; however, incomplete excision incurs both physical and financial strain on patients and the healthcare service. Our aim is to identify which anatomical regions of the head and neck pose greater risk of incomplete excision and raise awareness for future surgical practice. Manual data collection was carried out on all patients admitted to the OMFS department for surgical excision of NMSCs between January 2016 and December 2017. Information collected included clinical notes and MDT outcomes. NMSCs excised via Mohs surgery. All tumours incompletely excised and requiring further treatment were noted with particular emphasis on the site of the lesion within the head and neck region, and the location of the positive margin on the specimen itself. A total of 506 NMSCs were excised (307 BCC, 199 SCC). Of these, 7.8% (n=24) and 6.0% (n=12), respectively, required further treatment due to incomplete excision. The incompletely exised lesions were predominately located on the nose (13.3%), temple (15.0%), and ear (12.8%). Our results demonstrate that our department is successfully excising NMSCs with minimal cases requiring further management. This study has identified anatomical profiles posing a higher risk of incomplete removal. Alongside the conventionally challenging sites of the nose and ear, we have highlighted additional risk within the temporal region. We therefore propose that Mohs surgery or a two-stage procedure should be considered as management for the temple at future MDTs.