Table 2.
Baseline comparisons of intervention (chloramphenicol) and control (paraffin) groups. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Intervention group (n=488) | Control group (n=484) |
|---|---|---|
| Patients | ||
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 59.5 (23.2) | 59.0 (27.5) |
| Male | 266 (54.5) | 262 (54.1) |
| Smoking status: | ||
| Never smoked | 298 (61.1) | 299/483 (61.9) |
| Ex-smoker | 109 (22.3) | 108/483 (22.4) |
| Current smoker | 81 (16.6) | 76/483 (15.7) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 37 (7.6) | 50/483 (10.4) |
| With medical condition* | 79/478 (16.5) | 86/475 (18.1) |
| Lesions | ||
| Body site: | ||
| Neck and face | 166 (34.0) | 152 (31.4) |
| Upper extremities | 139 (28.5) | 140 (28.9) |
| Trunk | 108 (22.1) | 102 (21.1) |
| Lower extremities | 75 (15.4) | 90 (18.6) |
| Histology: | ||
| Melanoma and naevi | 64 (13.1) | 74 (15.3) |
| Non-melanoma skin cancer and precursor | 350 (71.7) | 315 (65.1) |
| Other† | 74 (15.2) | 95 (19.6) |
| Procedures | ||
| Mean (SD) length of excision (mm) | 20.9 (25.6) | 21.0 (28.8) |
| Median (interquartile range) No of days until removal of sutures | 7 (7-9) | 8 (7-10) |
| With flap | 1 (0.2) | 3 (0.6) |
| With two level procedure | 4 (0.8) | 4 (0.8) |
*Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=14), aspirin or clopidogrel (n=120), oral steroids (n=3), continuous inhaled steroids (n=9), warfarin (n=42), ischaemic heart disease (n=7), peripheral vascular disease (n=6), and current cancer (n=21).
†Included seborrhoeic keratosis, re-excisions of melanoma and basal cell carcinoma, sebaceous cyst, epidermal cyst, wart, and dermatitis.