Eighteen years of experience in Mohs micrographic surgery and conventional excision for nonmelanoma skin cancer treated by a single facial plastic surgeon and pathologist.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To determine and compare the efficacy of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS)- and conventional excision (CE)-confirmed resection of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs).

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of NMSCs treated in a tertiary referral center by a single facial plastic surgeon and a group of five histopathologists over an 18-year period. The treatment modality was either MMS or CE. The primary outcome measure was recurrence of disease. The secondary outcome measure was the size of resulting surgical excision defect.

RESULTS

Between 1990 and 2008, 795 patients were treated with MMS and 709 with CE. The median follow-up period for MMS was 24 months and for CE 16 months. Disease recurred in 6/795 and 7/709 patients, respectively (P = .78). Analysis of the resection defects with general linear models adjusted for localization and primary or recurrent disease showed significantly smaller defects after MMS (P = .008).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that: 1) MMS and CE are safe in terms of recurrence rates in NMSCs; 2) MMS can be performed adequately by an experienced facial plastic surgeon in close collaboration with a group of pathologists; and 3) the advantage of MMS is that resection defects can be minimized in important aesthetic and functional areas, such as the nose and eyelid, possibly facilitating the reconstruction.