A Systematic Review of the Epidemiology, Clinical Characteristics, Treatment, and Outcomes for Desmoplastic Trichoepithelioma: Underscoring Mohs Micrographic Surgery in Management.

BACKGROUND: Desmoplastic trichoepithelioma (DTE) is an uncommon benign adnexal tumor that histologically may mimic malignant tumors including basal cell carcinoma and microcystic adnexal carcinoma. OBJECTIVE: To present a systematic review of the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome data on DTEs, with emphasis on comparing Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) with other treatments. METHODS: Using the OVID platform, MEDLINE and Embase were searched from inception for studies providing original data on DTEs. RESULTS: A total of 338 cases of DTE from 61 articles were included. No recurrence/persistence (0%) was reported following MMS (n = 24, mean follow-up of 41.9 months), 13.1% with standard excision (n = 38, mean follow-up 16.9 months), and 2.1% for electrosurgery/cautery (n = 49, follow-up 3-72 months). 100% recurrence/persistence for imiquimod (n = 2) and liquid nitrogen (n = 4) were identified. In patients who underwent biopsy only, there was a 12.5% recurrence/persistence (n = 32, mean follow-up 16.5 months). Overall, duration of follow-up varied from 2 months to 6 years for the various management strategies. CONCLUSION: Data are limited regarding DTE outcomes. In this review, surgical modalities, specifically MMS, had the lowest rates of recurrence/persistence compared with other options. Given that most lesions are found on cosmetically sensitive locations, MMS seems to be the optimal management strategy for actively managing DTEs.

Incidence of Bacteremia, Infective Endocarditis, or Prosthetic Joint Infection in Dermatologic Surgery: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic antibiotic therapy is widely used in dermatologic surgery to prevent surgical site infections and bacteremia, which can lead to prosthetic joint infections (PJI) and infective endocarditis (IE) in high-risk populations. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of bacteremia, PJI, and IE after dermatologic surgery and assess the current evidence for antibiotic prophylaxis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search of the computerized bibliographic databases was performed using key terms from the date of inception to March 21, 2021. Data extraction was performed independently by 2 data extractors. RESULTS: The review resulted in 9 publications that met inclusion criteria, including 5 prospective cohort studies and 4 case reports or case series. The prospective studies reported a wide range of bacteremia incidence (0%-7%) after dermatologic surgery. No cases of PJI resulting directly from cutaneous surgery were identified, and only 1 case series reported IE after various skin procedures. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a low rate of bacteremia and a lack of direct evidence linking dermatologic surgery to PJI or IE. The scarcity of published data on this topic is a limitation, highlighting the need for further research, particularly randomized controlled trials, to guide antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations.

Nasal Lining Repair: A Comprehensive Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there are limited reviews in the dermatology literature on how to approach reconstruction of nasal lining in full-thickness nasal defects resulting from Mohs micrographic surgery. Given variable training and experience, dermatologic surgeons may seek additional references to help reconstruct certain advanced defects. We sought to synthesize literature from dermatologic surgery, plastic surgery, and otolaryngology to review repair options and considerations for repair of nasal lining defects. OBJECTIVE: To present a comprehensive literature review of repair options for nasal lining reconstruction and discuss advantages, disadvantages, specific anatomic considerations, and techniques to execute such options. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Articles from several different reconstructive specialties including dermatologic/Mohs surgery, otolaryngology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery were reviewed. Instructive images were compiled to illustrate several techniques, with additional medical illustration recreations included to help showcase important reconstructive approaches. RESULTS: A comprehensive descriptive review of nasal lining repair options for the reconstructive surgeon. CONCLUSION: Advanced tumors can result in full-thickness nasal defects, and this review describes various reconstructive options for reconstruction based on the extent of the defect.

Excision margins for melanoma in situ on the head and neck-A single-center 10-year retrospective review of treatment with Mohs micrographic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Although current guidelines recommend a 5 mm surgical margin for the excision of melanoma in situ (MIS), increasing evidence has shown this may be suboptimal to achieve tumor clearance. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate margins required for optimal cure rates with excision of MIS on the head and neck and investigate tumor and/or patient factors in those requiring >5 mm margins to achieve tumor clearance. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on 846 (807 primary and 39 recurrent) MIS cases on the head and neck treated in the authors' dermatologic surgery department over a 126-month (10.5 year) period. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent were cleared with 5 mm margins. A total of 15 mm margins were required to achieve a 97% clearance rate. Difference in clearance rate between margin thresholds was significant (P < .001). Tumor location on the cheek and larger preoperative size correlated with requiring >5 mm margins to achieve tumor clearance (P = .006 and P = .001, respectively). LIMITATIONS: This is a single-center retrospective study which relies on accurate documentation of clinical data. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that MIS on the head and neck often requires margins >5 mm margins to achieve tumor clearance. When Mohs micrographic surgery is not possible, excision margins of ≥10 mm are likely necessary for head and neck tumors.

Identifying critical quality metrics in Mohs Surgery: A national expert consensus process.

BACKGROUND: Amid a movement toward value-based healthcare, increasing emphasis has been placed on outcomes and cost of medical services. To define and demonstrate the quality of services provided by Mohs surgeons, it is important to identify and understand the key aspects of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) that contribute to excellence in patient care. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to develop and identify a comprehensive list of metrics in an initial effort to define excellence in MMS. METHODS: Mohs surgeons participated in a modified Delphi process to reach a consensus on a list of metrics. Patients were administered surveys to gather patient perspectives. RESULTS: Twenty-four of the original 66 metrics met final inclusion criteria. Broad support for the initiative was obtained through physician feedback. LIMITATIONS: Limitations of this study include attrition bias across survey rounds and participation at the consensus meeting. Furthermore, the list of metrics is based on expert consensus instead of quality evidence-based outcomes. CONCLUSION: With the goal of identifying metrics that demonstrate excellence in performance of MMS, this initial effort has shown that Mohs surgeons and patients have unique perspectives and can be engaged in a data-driven approach to help define excellence in the field of MMS.

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of proliferating pilar tumors: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Proliferating pilar tumors (PPTs) are rare cutaneous neoplasms arising from hair follicles that have both malignant and metastatic potential. OBJECTIVE: To present a systematic review of the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and treatment and outcome data on PPTs. METHODS: Using the OVID platform, MEDLINE and Embase were searched from inception until May 26, 2022. All studies that provided original data on PPTs in English were included. References of these studies were also cross-checked to identify any additional relevant articles. Oxford's Levels of Evidence-Based Medicine was used for quality assessment. RESULTS: A total of 114 articles, providing data on 361 cases of PPTs, were included in our synthesis. Every study included was either a case series or case report. The mean age at diagnosis was 61.7. Most patients in the synthesis were female (71%), and the majority of cases occurred on the scalp (73.1%). The presence or absence of cytological atypia was only reported in one-third of the cases; 36.8% of cases were classified as malignant and 7.5% metastasized. Although no lesions treated with Mohs micrographic surgery required adjuvant radiation and only one reported recurrence occurred after Mohs surgery, there is insufficient data to make conclusions on a superior treatment modality. LIMITATIONS: All studies in this review were either case reports or case series. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our study supports the notion that PPTs occur most commonly on the scalp of elderly female patients. Moreover, our findings confirm that PPT is capable of demonstrating aggressive biology and metastasis. Given the lack of uniformity in histologic description, pathologists should be encouraged to comment on the presence and degree of cytological atypia when reporting cases of rare neoplasms such as the PPT. Greater consensus on diagnosis and classification as well as more robust data is needed regarding optimal management.

Outcomes of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip Treated With Mohs Micrographic Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs) of the lip have been reported to be at higher risk for poorer post-treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To examine outcomes of patients with SCC of the lip treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) and identify factors for recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective review of a single tertiary referral center's Mohs case logs from 2010 to 2019 identified cases of lip SCC. Clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes (local recurrence [LR], metastasis, and disease-specific death) were reviewed. RESULTS: One hundred ninety cases of SCC of the lip were identified and demonstrated that MMS offered a disease-free survival of 96.8% over an average follow-up period of 42 months. Younger age (61 vs 74 years p = .006), increased MMS stages ( p = .009), and higher American Joint Committee on Cancer and Brigham and Women's Hospital T stages were risk factors for LR. Immunosuppression, large tumor size, mucosal lip involvement, aggressive histology, and perineural invasion were not associated with LR. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that SCC of the lip behaved similarly to cSCC outside the lip area, and that both primary and recurrent lesions can be treated effectively with MMS.

Evaluating Public Perceptions of Cosmetic Procedures in the Medical Spa and Physician's Office Settings: A Large-scale Survey.

BACKGROUND: Medical spa and cosmetic procedure markets have grown substantially in recent years. The lack of consistent medical oversight at medical spas raises safety concerns. OBJECTIVE: To understand how the public views medical spas compared with physician's offices as places to receive cosmetic procedures with a focus on safety. METHODS: 1,108 people were surveyed on an internet platform about their perceptions of the safety of receiving cosmetic procedures at medical spas and physician's offices. Respondents were grouped by their past experiences. Chi-squared and analysis of variance models were used to determine statistically significant differences between groups at the 0.05 level. RESULTS: Respondents who had only received cosmetic procedures at physician's offices or had never received a cosmetic procedure cared more about being treated by a physician ( p < .001) and rated safety as more important ( p = .03). Total complication rates were numerically higher at medical spas compared with physician's offices ( p = .41). Minimally invasive skin tightening (0.77 vs 0.0, p < .001) and nonsurgical fat reduction (0.80 vs 0.36, p = .04) had higher complication rates at medical spas. CONCLUSION: There were concerns among the public about the safety of cosmetic procedures at medical spas, and some procedures demonstrated higher complication rates in this setting.

Sebaceous carcinoma in solid organ transplant recipients: The elegant path from epidemiology to etiology.

Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a rare skin cancer associated with rapid progression and relatively poor survival, particularly in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs). Immunosuppressive regimens place SOTRs at substantially increased risk of a variety of skin cancers; recent research has shown a 25-fold increase in SC in the SOTR population, especially among lung recipients, older males, those with longer time since transplant, and patients undergoing induction therapy with thymoglobulin. The potential etiologic mechanisms underlying SC are multifaceted and complex. Immunosuppression creates a microcosm through which to view causative factors for carcinogenesis which has implications in elucidating mechanistic etiologies for SC far beyond the SOTR population, since not all cancers are more common in immunosuppressed patients. Research integrating the role of oncogenic viruses, underlying medical conditions, genetic risk factors, toxicity of prophylactic medications, drug-induced photosensitization, and T-cell deficiency/dysfunction is needed to better elucidate the factors underlying SC in immunosuppressed hosts. In this report, we integrate current research regarding SC in SOTR patients using the causal pie/sufficient-component cause model. In doing so, we provide a paradigm through which to view future research regarding the etiology of SC.