Table 3.
Comparison of patients with and without recurrence
| No recurrence (40/60) | Recurrence (20/60) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (%) | .1 | ||
| Male | 93 (37/40) | 75 (15/20) | |
| Female | 7 (3/40) | 25 (5/20) | |
| Age (y) | .3 | ||
| Mean (SD) | 58 (15.4) | 53.8 (15.3) | |
| Median (range) | 57.5 (16–88) | 53 (27–91) | |
| Previous skin cancer (%) | 32.5 (13/40) | 15 (3/20) | .15 |
| BCC | 20 (8/40) | 5 (1/20) | |
| SCC | 7.5 (3/40) | 5 (1/20) | |
| Melanoma | 5 (2/40) | 10 (2/20)* | |
| Side (%) | .86 | ||
| Right ear | 48 (19/40) | 50 (10/20) | |
| Left ear | 52 (21/40) | 50 (10/20) | |
| Pathology (%) | .63 | ||
| Superficial spreading | 32 (13/40) | 35 (7/20) | |
| Lentigo | 15 (6/40) | 30 (6/20)† | |
| Nodular | 20 (8/40) | 10 (3/20) | |
| Demoplastic | 2 (2/40) | 0 | |
| Malig blue nevus | 0 | 5 (1/20) | |
| Spindle | 2.5 (1/40) | 5 (1/20) | |
| Not defined | 25 (10/40) | 20 (4/20) | |
| Clark level (%) | .4 | ||
| I | 5 (2/40) | 0 | |
| II | 12.5 (5/40) | 15 (3/20) | |
| III | 10 (4/40) | 25 (5/20) | |
| IV | 72.5 (29/40) | 60 (12/20) | |
| Breslow thickness (mm) | .14 | ||
| Mean (SD) | 1.50 (.99) | 1.96 (1.41) | |
| Median (range) | 1.1 (in situ–5) | 1.64 (.29–5) | |
| Surgical treatment (%) | |||
| SLNB | 52.5 (21/40) | 55 (11/20) | .86 |
| Positive SLN | 9.5 (2/21) | 45 (5/11) | .03 |
| Neck dissection | 7.5 (3/40)‡ | 25 (5/20) | .1 |
| Positive nodes | 0 | 60 (3/5) |
BCC = basal cell carcinoma; SCC = squamous cell carcinoma; SD = standard deviation; SLNB = sentinel lymph node biopsy.
*
One patient had previously been diagnosed with a melanoma and BCC.
†
One patient had lentiginous and superficial spreading lesions, another patient had both a lentiginous and nodular lesion.
‡
One patient had a neck dissection at the time of initial operation instead of a SLN biopsy at the discretion of the surgeon.