Retrospective Analysis of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip Treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center

Conference Year

January 2019

Abstract

The overall goal of the project is to assess outcomes after Moh’s surgery for the treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Moh’s micrographic surgery is a specialized method of removing skin cancer and aims to achieve the maximum likelihood of cure while removing the minimum amount of skin. It does this by taking horizontal cuts of the tissue and mounting the specimen in such a way as to allow for histologic inspection of one hundred percent of the surgical margin. If cancer cells remain visible at the margin, the surgeon resects additional tissue only from the corresponding location on the patient’s skin and repeats this process until the margins are clear of malignancy. This is in contrast to a standard wide local excision where the sample is sectioned vertically by “breadloafing” and less than one percent of the margins are visible for analysis. We aim to assess cSCC outcomes in patients who undergo Moh’s surgical excision.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Melanie Bui

Status

Medical Students

Student College

Larner College of Medicine

Program/Major

Biological Sciences, Integrated

Primary Research Category

Health Sciences

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Retrospective Analysis of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip Treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center

The overall goal of the project is to assess outcomes after Moh’s surgery for the treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Moh’s micrographic surgery is a specialized method of removing skin cancer and aims to achieve the maximum likelihood of cure while removing the minimum amount of skin. It does this by taking horizontal cuts of the tissue and mounting the specimen in such a way as to allow for histologic inspection of one hundred percent of the surgical margin. If cancer cells remain visible at the margin, the surgeon resects additional tissue only from the corresponding location on the patient’s skin and repeats this process until the margins are clear of malignancy. This is in contrast to a standard wide local excision where the sample is sectioned vertically by “breadloafing” and less than one percent of the margins are visible for analysis. We aim to assess cSCC outcomes in patients who undergo Moh’s surgical excision.