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Updated: May 22, 2026
Anterior High-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography in the Diagnosis and Therapeutic Monitoring of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia
Published on: August 9, 2024
Management of periocular basal cell carcinoma by Mohs micrographic surgery
Andre S Litwin1, Ed Rytina, Thomas Ha
1Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England. andre@doctors.org.uk
Background/Aims:
To determine the success of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) for periocular basal cell carcinoma (BCC) at a tertiary referral centre in the UK.
Design:
A retrospective interventional case series covering 5 years of practice.
Methods:
Review of medical records of 104 consecutive patients who underwent MMS for confirmed periocular BCC. The main outcome measure was biopsy-proven recurrence of BCC at the same anatomical location after MMS. Secondary outcome measures included tumour site, histological subtype and length of follow-up.
Results:
104 patients underwent MMS for periocular BCC from January 2003 to July 2008. 63 (62%) of the surgeries were for primary BCC and 25 procedures (25%) were for recurrent or residual BCC. 64% of tumours were nodular BCC. The mean follow-up was 28 months (range 1-85 months). Six recurrences were identified in total. The recurrence rate following MMS for primary BCC was 1.6% (1 patient) compared to 20% (5 patients) in the patient group treated for residual or recurrent tumours. The mean time to recurrence was 39 months (range 16-71 months).
Conclusions:
MMS for primary BCC has a very high success rate but the recurrence rate increases significantly in cases of recurrent or residual tumours.
