Relapse and associated risk factors after Mohs micrographic surgery at the Uruguayan national reference University Center

Abstract

Background: Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is the technique of choice for the treatment of high-risk non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). We describe the patient and tumor’s characteristics that define them as high-risk tumors: size, location, being a primary or recurrence tumor, immunological state of the patient, within other factors.

Objective: describe the profile of patients with recurrent carcinomas after MMS in the Dermatology department of Clinic Hospital Dr. Manuel Quintela in a 7-year period.

Methods: observational, descriptive, retrospective, single-center, historical cohort study in which patients with recurrent carcinomas after MMS were analyzed by clinical history revision and results were compared with the literature.

Results: in the mentioned period 7 recurrences within the 388 surgeries were found, corresponding to 1,8% of the surgeries, with a mean time to recurrence of 15,3 +/- 2,3 months. It is highlighted all of them were high risk tumors, 5 were at high risk locations, 3 were immunosupressed and 2 had high risk histological subtypes.

Conclusions: within the 7-year period 1,8% of recurrences after  MMS were found and the mean time to recurrence was 15,3 months. In general, patient’s characteristics were similar to the consulted literature. It is striking the high percentage of smokers and anticoagulated within these patients comparing to all the patiens who completed 5 years of follow-up. However, it is important to take into account that the small number of patients make it difficult to compare the results with other studies.