Clinicopathological Factors Influencing Resection Margin Involvement During Mohs Micrographic Surgery for Skin Tumors

Abstract

Background/aim: Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is a specialized procedure for removing skin tumors. Intraoperative assessment of the resection margin (RM) status using frozen section examination is a crucial component of MMS. This study aimed to identify significant clinicopathological characteristics that could help surgeons determine the optimal surgical extent.

Patients and methods: One hundred and fifty-one patients with primary skin tumors were included. The relationship between RM involvement and the clinico-pathological characteristics was analyzed for each histological type.

Results: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) was significantly more likely to exhibit positive RMs and required additional excision during MMS compared to squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, the probability of RM involvement was significantly higher in high-risk BCC subtypes.

Conclusion: When planning MMS, considering the histological type and presence of high-risk morphology may help surgeons perform more effective procedures.

Keywords: Mohs micrographic surgery; Skin; epidermal carcinoma; frozen section examination; resection margin involvement.