Much Choice, Much Confusion: Treating Basal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Brittany O. Dulmage, Shuai Xu
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Editorials2 October 2018Much Choice, Much Confusion: Treating Basal Cell CarcinomaBrittany O. Dulmage, MD and Shuai Xu, MD, MScBrittany O. Dulmage, MDNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (B.O.D., S.X.) and Shuai Xu, MD, MScNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (B.O.D., S.X.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M18-2286 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In the United States, the number of newly diagnosed cases of nonmelanocytic skin cancer, which includes both basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma, is reaching epidemic proportions (1, 2). An analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey database showed that between 1995 and 2007, office visits related to nonmelanocytic skin cancer increased 70% to 1660 visits per 100 000 person-years (3). From a health economics perspective, the annual medical cost of treating nonmelanocytic skin cancer is $4.8 billion, representing a 74% increase over the past decade (4). Although most cases of BCC are curable and are localized to ...References1. Rogers HW, Weinstock MA, Feldman SR, Coldiron BM. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer (keratinocyte carcinomas) in the U.S. population, 2012. JAMA Dermatol. 2015;151:1081-6. [PMID: 25928283] doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.1187 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Kauvar AN, Cronin T, Roenigk R, Hruza G, Bennett R; American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. Consensus for nonmelanoma skin cancer treatment: basal cell carcinoma, including a cost analysis of treatment methods. Dermatol Surg. 2015;41:550-71. [PMID: 25868035] doi:10.1097/DSS.0000000000000296 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Wysong A, Linos E, Hernandez-Boussard T, Arron ST, Gladstone H, Tang JY. Nonmelanoma skin cancer visits and procedure patterns in a nationally representative sample: national ambulatory medical care survey 1995-2007. Dermatol Surg. 2013;39:596-602. [PMID: 23331766] doi:10.1111/dsu.12092 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Guy GP, Machlin SR, Ekwueme DU, Yabroff KR. Prevalence and costs of skin cancer treatment in the U.S., 2002-2006 and 2007-2011. Am J Prev Med. 2015;48:183-7. [PMID: 25442229] doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.08.036 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Drucker AM, Adam GP, Rofeberg V, Gazula A, Smith B, Moustafa F, et al. Treatments of primary basal cell carcinoma of the skin: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:456-66. doi:10.7326/M18-0678 LinkGoogle Scholar6. Connolly SM, Baker DR, Coldiron BM, Fazio MJ, Storrs PA, Vidimos AT, et al; Ad Hoc Task Force. AAD/ACMS/ASDSA/ASMS 2012 appropriate use criteria for Mohs micrographic surgery: a report of the American Academy of Dermatology, American College of Mohs Surgery, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association, and the American Society for Mohs Surgery. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2012;67:531-50. [PMID: 22959232] doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2012.06.009 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Linos E, VanBeek M, Resneck JS. A sudden and concerning increase in the use of electronic brachytherapy for skin cancer. JAMA Dermatol. 2015;151:699-700. [PMID: 25785818] doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.0385 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Schlessinger DI, Iyengar S, Yanes AF, Lazaroff JM, Godinez-Puig V, Chen BR, et al. Development of a core outcome set for clinical trials in basal cell carcinoma: study protocol for a systematic review of the literature and identification of a core outcome set using a Delphi survey. Trials. 2017;18:490. [PMID: 29061190] doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2244-5 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Schmitt J, Spuls PI, Thomas KS, Simpson E, Furue M, Deckert S, et al; HOME initiative collaborators. The Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) statement to assess clinical signs of atopic eczema in trials. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;134:800-7. [PMID: 25282560] doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2014.07.043 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Park AJ, Ko JM, Swerlick RA. Crowdsourcing dermatology: DataDerm, big data analytics, and machine learning technology [Editorial]. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018;78:643-4. [PMID: 29042152] doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2017.08.053 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (B.O.D., S.X.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M18-2286.Corresponding Author: Shuai Xu, MD, MSc, 676 North St. Clair Street, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60611; e-mail, [email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Dulmage and Xu: 676 North St. Clair Street, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60611.This article was published at Annals.org on 18 September 2018. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoTreatments of Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Skin Aaron M. Drucker , Gaelen P. Adam , Valerie Rofeberg , Abhilash Gazula , Bryant Smith , Farah Moustafa , Martin A. Weinstock , and Thomas A. Trikalinos Metrics 2 October 2018Volume 169, Issue 7Page: 500-501KeywordsBasal cell carcinomasCancer epidemiologyClinical trialsDermatologyDisclosureInterleukinsMotivationRadiation therapySurgerySurveillance Epidemiology and End Results ePublished: 18 September 2018 Issue Published: 2 October 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...