The following is a summary of “Deep Shave Removal of Suspected Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Prospective Study,” published in the February 2023 issue of Dermatologic Surgery by Dando et al.
Performing a shave removal procedure for diagnosing and treating basal cell carcinoma (BCC) during a single visit may result in reduced healthcare costs and improved patient satisfaction. This study aims to conduct a prospective assessment of the deep shave removal technique for the excision of lesions that exhibit clinical suspicion of low-risk BCC on the trunk or extremities of immunocompetent patients. A procedure known as deep shave removal was carried out between January 2015 and June 2016 to eliminate the tumor.
Subsequently, patients were monitored for any clinical indications of tumor reappearance.
A total of 77 lesions were excised from 51 patients, comprising 29 (37%) superficial and nodular basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), 27 (35%) superficial BCCs, 16 (21%) nodular BCCs, and 5 (6%) non-BCCs. Out of fifteen basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), 21% showed positive residual margins after undergoing deep shave removal. This outcome was observed to be significantly more common in nodular BCCs than superficial BCCs, with an odds ratio of 7.8 and a 95% CI of 1.4-43. Consequently, these cases underwent re-excision.
Fourteen samples initially reported having negative margins following a deep shave procedure were subjected to resectioning. The results of the resectioning showed that 4 of the samples (28.6%) had positive margins. There have been no clinical recurrences of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) during an average follow-up period of 50 months (standard error 3.2). Opting for deep shave removal in immunocompetent patients with low-risk basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) located on the trunk or extremities is advisable to avoid a subsequent treatment visit.
