Variations and Challenges of Cutaneous Oncological Surgery in Morocco

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Surgical Oncology
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Background:

• Oncological skin surgery is crucial for treating malignant skin tumors.
• Current practices lack standardized national or international guidelines.
• This variability impacts procedural consistency and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess practice variations in oncological skin surgery.
• To explore how clinician specialty and professional grade influence these variations.
• To identify areas for potential guideline development.

Main Methods:

• A national, anonymized, cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire.
• Survey distributed to dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and other relevant specialists.
• Data analyzed using SPSS, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Main Results:

• Significant variations observed in wide local excision (WLE) planning and execution.
• Differences noted in margin marking, excision axis, and depth based on specialty.
• Most excisions were complete (95.2%), with low complication rates (3%), but higher with antithrombotic therapy.

Conclusions:

• Substantial variation exists in current oncological skin surgery practices.
• Clinician specialty and training methods contribute to practice differences.
• Standardized consensus guidelines are recommended to enhance procedural consistency and patient outcomes.