Surgical management of umbilical basal cell carcinoma: Published work review and the optimal depth of surgical excision.

Abstract

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a common malignant skin tumor. However, BCC that arise at the umbilicus is rare. We present three cases of umbilical BCC. Each BCC was excised at a different depth level, and all deep surgical margins were negative. All patients had no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis during the follow-up periods (12, 24, and 52 months). Reviewing the reported cases of umbilical BCC, the BCC cells did not seem to invade into the umbilical scar in most cases, and the deepest invasion levels of tumor cells were up to the middle layer of the subcutaneous tissue. However, the dermatological surgeons have to consider the possibility of surgical excision down to and including the umbilical attachment to the peritoneum, and intraoperative margin assessment should be necessary to avoid the risk of excessive or incomplete excision.