Mohs surgery
Recurrence rates with Mohs surgery are very low (2% to 5%).[42]Nasr I, McGrath EJ, Harwood CA, et al; British Association of Dermatologists' Clinical Standards Unit. British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of adults with basal cell carcinoma 2021. Br J Dermatol. 2021 Nov;185(5):899-920.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjd.20524
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34050920?tool=bestpractice.com
[79]Garcia C, Poletti E, Crowson AN. Basosquamous carcinoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009 Jan;60(1):137-43.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19103364?tool=bestpractice.com
Surgical treatment
Five-year recurrence rates are typically ≤5% following standard surgical excision, pending histological subtype.[59]Thomson J, Hogan S, Leonardi-Bee J, et al. Interventions for basal cell carcinoma of the skin. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Nov 17;(11):CD003412.
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003412.pub3/full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33202063?tool=bestpractice.com
A scar will be visible after surgical treatment.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy has higher recurrence rates, but no scars.[95]Vidal D, Matias-Guiu X, Alomar A. Fifty-five basal cell carcinomas treated with topical imiquimod: outcome at 5-year follow-up. Arch Dermatol. 2007 Feb;143(2):266-8.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17310012?tool=bestpractice.com
High-risk features
Some features of basal cell carcinoma are indicative of aggressive tumour behaviour and are high-risk for recurrence:[47]Newlands C, Currie R, Memon A, et al. Non-melanoma skin cancer: United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines. J Laryngol Otol. 2016 May;130(S2):S125-32.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-laryngology-and-otology/article/nonmelanoma-skin-cancer-united-kingdom-national-multidisciplinary-guidelines/EC5EF7B3A87F26984E49F02239E1AD31
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27841126?tool=bestpractice.com