Risk factors for recurrence of facial basal cell carcinoma after surgical excision: A follow-up analysis

Incomplete and close excision margins, infiltrative and micronodular subtypes and previous excision are strong risk factors for facial BCC recurrence. Although depth of invasion, perineural infiltration, ulceration and surface area may indicate the aggressive nature of a lesion, the results suggest that with adequate excision margins, these factors may not influence the recurrence rate. The strongest risk factor was a lesion having already recurred after previous excision, and it suggested that these lesions be treated with particular caution and a closer follow-up regime be employed.