Outcomes of primary cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma with perineural invasion: an 11-year cohort study

To identify factors associated with poor outcomes in perineurally invasive squamous cell carcinoma.

Retrospective cohort study.

Two academic hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts.

Adults with perineural SCC diagnosed from 1998 to 2008.

Hazard ratios (HRs) for local recurrence, nodal metastasis, death from disease, and overall death, adjusted for known prognostic factors.

A total of 114 cases were included, all but 2 involving unnamed nerves. Only a single local recurrence occurred in cases with no risk factors other than nerve invasion. Tumors with large nerve (≥ 0.1 mm in caliber) invasion were significantly more likely to have other risk factors, including diameters of 2 cm or greater (P<.001), invasion beyond the subcutaneous fat (P<.003), multiple nerve involvement (P<.001), infiltrative growth (P=.01), or lymphovascular invasion (P=.01). On univariate analysis, large nerve invasion was associated with increased risk of nodal metastasis (HR, 5.6 [95% CI, 1.1-27.9]) and death from disease (HR, 4.5 [95% CI, 1.2-17.0]). On multivariate analysis, tumor diameter of 2 cm or greater predicted local recurrence (HR, 4.8 [95% CI, 1.8-12.7]), >1 risk factor predicted nodal metastasis (2 factors: HR, 4.1 [95% CI, 1.0-16.6]), lymphovascular invasion predicted death from disease (HR, 15.3 [95% CI, 3.7-62.8]), and overall death (HR, 1.1 [95% CI, 1.0-1.1]). Invasion beyond subcutaneous fat also predicted overall death (HR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.0-4.3]).

Squamous cell carcinoma involving unnamed small nerves (<0.1 mm in caliber) may have a low risk of poor outcomes in the absence of other risk factors. Large-caliber nerve invasion is associated with an elevated risk of nodal metastasis and death, but this is due in part to multiple other risk factors associated with large-caliber nerve invasion. A larger study is needed to estimate the specific prognostic impact of nerve caliber.