Descripción de las intervenciones quirúrgicas recogidas en el registro español de cirugía de Mohs (REGESMOHS) (2013-2015)

[Mohs micrographic surgery for skin cancers: A 10 year - single-center series of 548 patients treated by formalin-fixed tissue Mohs surgery assessing the impact of reduced margins]

AIM

Only few robust studies specify the indications of Mohs Surgery techniques in skin tumors. The aim of this work was to carry out a review of almost 10 years of experience, assessing the impact of reduced margins on reconstruction, and proposing a management algorithm in the light of the literature.

PATIENT AND METHODS

All the records of patients having benefited from a Mohs technique in our center were retrospectively compiled from January 2011 until January 2020. A formalin-fixed tissue Mohs surgery was used. An impact assessment of reduced margins was made both on the excisional surface but also on the improvement of the reconstruction.

RESULTS

548 patients were included. Complete tumour clearance was achieved with one surgical stage in 71% of cases. The excisional surface of tumours located in the periorbital and nasal areas was significantly more often reduced compared to other areas (P=0,020). The improvement of the reconstruction was deemed significant in the periorbital and nasal areas; as well as for tumours located on limbs and trunk linked with Dermatofibrosarcoma management.

CONCLUSION

This study underlines the interest of assessing the clinical relevance of reducing margins depending on the tumor location. Our single-center experience feedback on a large series allows to clarify Mohs technique indications by means of a literature review.

Mohs micrographic surgery: a review of indications, technique, outcomes, and considerations

Mohs micrographic surgery is a specialized form of skin cancer surgery that has the highest cure rates for several cutaneous malignancies. Certain skin cancers can have small extensions or “roots” that may be missed if an excised tumor is serially cross-sectioned in a “bread-loaf” fashion, commonly performed on excision specimens. The method of Mohs micrographic surgery is unique in that the dermatologist (Mohs surgeon) acts as both surgeon and pathologist, from the preoperative considerations until the reconstruction. Since Dr. Mohs’s initial work in the 1930s, the practice of Mohs micrographic surgery has become increasingly widespread among the dermatologic surgery community worldwide and is considered the treatment of choice for many common and uncommon cutaneous neoplasms. Mohs micrographic surgery spares the maximal amount of normal tissue and is a safe procedure with very few complications, most of them managed by Mohs surgeons in their offices. Mohs micrographic surgery is the standard of care for high risks basal cell carcinomas and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and is commonly and increasingly used for melanoma and other rare tumors with superior cure rates. This review better familiarizes the dermatologists with the technique, explains the difference between Mohs micrographic surgery and wide local excision, and discusses its main indications.