Cutaneous shrinkage after surgical resection of facial skin tumors: a prospective study on 100 surgical specimens

Abstract

Histological reports of skin tumor excisions frequently describe a lesser margin than the clinical excision margin. This study was aimed to evaluate the degree of shrinkage occurring in facial cutaneous specimens after excision and formalin fixation, and to assess the role of potentially influential factors.

Our prospective study on 100 surgical specimens from 06/01/2017 to 10/31/2017 showed a mean shrinkage from in vivo (before excision) to in vitro (after 24h formalin fixation) of 12.8% in length and 11.2% in width for the surgical specimens, and of 10.3% and 9.7%, respectively for the tumor (p<0.001). Shrinkage was greater for squamous cell carcinomas than basal cell carcinomas. No relevant differences were found for age, gender, body mass index, tobacco and alcohol use, phototype and anatomical units of the face.

Clinicians, surgeons and dermatopathologists should be aware of this expected range of shrinkage to appropriately interpret the histological results and the margins.

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