The natural progression of basal cell carcinomas in patients awaiting surgical intervention

Abstract

Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are slow growing keratinocyte tumours with limited literature reporting the natural history of untreated BCCs. This study evaluated the natural progression and patient outcomes of BCCs whilst awaiting surgical intervention. Only patients with histologically proven BCCs were included in the data collection. Retrospective data analysis was performed on 55 patients (total of 70 lesions) and showed a statistically significant correlation between average growth of BCCs and time waiting for a procedure. Twenty percent of the cases had a larger procedure than originally planned at the time of booking. The top three symptoms reported include itching (39.4%), crusting (36.4%) and bleeding (30.3%). In conclusion, we reported a positive relationship between BCC growth and length of time from initial presentation to surgical treatment where patients often ended up with more symptoms, larger and complex surgical procedure than originally planned especially on the head and neck.