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Histologic cure of basal cell carcinoma treated with cryosurgery
Theodore J Giuffrida1, Gloria Jimenez, Keyvan Nouri
1University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida 33136, USA.
Background:
Cryosurgery is a method of treatment for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Despite numerous studies reporting excellent cure rates with cryosurgery, there are no studies in the literature that have shown a histologic cure of BCC.
Objective:
We sought to show histologically that cryosurgery is an effective cure for well-defined, noduloulcerative BCC of the trunk and upper extremities.
Methods:
Twelve noduloulcerative BCCs of the trunk and proximal upper extremities less than 1 cm were treated with single freeze-thaw cryosurgery using a cryoprobe apparatus with liquid nitrogen. A thermocouple needle measured temperature, with the goal to reach between -50 degrees C and -60 degrees C. One to 2 months later, the site was excised and examined with horizontal step sections throughout the entire tissue.
Results:
No tissue specimens had histologic evidence of tumor.
Conclusion:
Single freeze-thaw cryosurgery provides a histologic cure of well-defined, noduloulcerative BCCs of the trunk and extremities less than or equal to 1 cm.