Electrodesiccation and Curettage for Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Situ: The Effect of Anatomic Location on Local Recurrence

Abstract

BACKGROUND Electrodesiccation and curettage (EDC) is a common, minimally invasive treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCCIS). OBJECTIVE Determine the 5-year recurrence rate of EDC for SCCIS and to determine if this differs by anatomic location. METHOD AND MATERIALS A retrospective, single-center, cohort study of patients treated between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2017, with at least 5 years of follow-up. The overall 5-year recurrence rate of EDC for SCCIS was calculated and compared across low-risk (L), moderate-risk (M), and high-risk (H) anatomic zones. RESULTS Five hundred ten tumors were randomly identified from 367 unique patients. The 5-year recurrence rate of the entire cohort was 5.3%. There was no significant difference in recurrence by clinical size or immunosuppressed status. One hundred thirty-four tumors in the L zone were matched 1:1:1 to tumors in the M and H zones. The 5-year recurrence rate of M zone tumors (8.2%) and H zone tumors (6.0%) were higher than the recurrence rate of a L zone tumors (3.0%), but this was not statistically significant (p = .075 and p = .247, respectively). CONCLUSION Electrodesiccation and curettage allows for a high 5-year cure rate across a broad range of anatomic sites. However, overall cure rate should be individualized by anatomic location when counseling patients.