Long term results after surgical basal cell carcinoma excision in the eyelid region

Aims-To evaluate the data for patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in t he eyelid region, to demonstrate histologically controlled tumour excision, and to prove the efficacy of the treatment on the basis of long term obser vations. Methods-Retrospective analysis of 382 microscopically controlled BCC excisi ons in the eyelid apparatus (350 patients) in a follow up study over 5.7 (S D 1.1) years. Tumour location, tumour size, and histological results were r ecorded. The same procedure was followed for recurrences. Follow up examina tions were carried out 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the operation, and then annually for a further 4 years or longer. Results-A recurrence rate of 5.36% was observed after the primary operation . 60.3% of first recurrences occurred in the medial canthus, 41.2% showed i n depth extension, and sclerosing types were overly represented at 35.3%. A fter the second operation the recurrence rate increased to 14.7% and reache d 50% after a third and fourth operation. Conclusions-The greatest risk of recurrence exists for BCCs of the medial c anthus with in depth extension, and for sclerosing types. The recurrence ra te increases after every operation. For high risk cases, consideration shou ld be given to adjuvant treatment such as radiotherapy.