CPB Ljubljana 2018 course book

Treatment of choice

• Surgery and radiotherapy are the most effective treatments with surgery showing the lowest failure rates • Topical therapies should be reserved for those patients where surgery or radiation therapy is contraindicated or impractical • Only one randomized trial of surgery vs radiotherapy in basal cell ca. of the face showed at 4 years significantly more persistent tumours and recurrences in the radiotherapy group as compared to surgery (but more advanced)

Bath-Hextall FJ1, et al. Interventions for basal cell carcinoma of the skin. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007; Jan24:(1):C D003412.

Avril M-F, et al. Basal cell carcinoma of the face: surgery or radiotherapy? Results of a randomized study. Br J Cancer 1997; 76: 100-6.