Small margin (2 mm) excision of peri-ocular basal cell carcinoma with delayed repair

Abstract

Successful surgical treatment of peri-ocular basal cell carcinomas requires complete excision. Mohs' micrographic surgery achieves this, but is not readily available in all hospitals. The standard 3-4 mm margin does not guarantee complete excision and histology is often not available until after a repair has been undertaken. The 3-4 mm margin has evolved to deal with all forms of BCC. In our opinion, this margin is unnecessarily large for nodular/ulcerative BCC. We report our interim results of excision of localised BCCs using a 2 mm margin in conjunction with a delayed repair following confirmation of histological clearance. Thirty-one patients were treated in this manner; there have been no recurrences after an average follow-up period of 36 months (range 24-57 months).