Head and neck basal cell carcinoma: treatment using a 2-mm clinical excision margin

Treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) should completely remove the tumour whilst preserving the maximum amount of normal surrounding skin. Therefore , treatment is a compromise between safe excision margins and obtaining a s atisfactory cosmetic result. We report the results of a prospective study o f 63 patients who underwent excision of well-demarcated BCCs in the head an d neck region. The surgical excision margin used was 2 mm. Histological ass essment confirmed complete excision in 95% and there was no evidence of rec urrence of the BCC over a 24-month follow-up period in all patients. We pro pose that a clinical excision margin of 2 mm is adequate for treatment of s imple, well demarcated BCCs arising in the head and neck.