Cryosurgery for Basal Cell Skin Cancer of the Head: 15 Years of Experience
Ilya Pustinsky,
Anton Dvornikov,
Ekaterina Kiva,
Svetlana Chulkova,
Angelina Egorova,
Irina Gladilina,
Sergey Peterson,
Nataly Lepkova,
Natalya Grishchenko,
Zamira Galaeva,
Aigul Baisova,
Sergey Kalinin
Affiliations
Ilya Pustinsky
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Anton Dvornikov
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Ekaterina Kiva
LCR Center Traditional Medicine “Five Elements”, 140104 Moscow, Russia
Svetlana Chulkova
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Angelina Egorova
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Irina Gladilina
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Sergey Peterson
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Nataly Lepkova
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Natalya Grishchenko
FSBI “N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center” Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 115478 Moscow, Russia
Zamira Galaeva
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Aigul Baisova
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Sergey Kalinin
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education «N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 117997 Moscow, Russia
The clinical relevance of head and neck (H&N) tumors is related to the potential disfiguration of anatomical structures (by the tumor or surgical intervention), defining patients’ individual features and emotional expression, loss or restraint of vital structures functions, and untoward socio-economic sequelae. This study is aimed to improve clinical outcomes of cryosurgery in patients with H&N basal cell skin cancer by refining the indications for cryosurgical treatment. In this study, cryosurgery was used in 234 patients with different stages of cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the head, including 101 patients with T1 tumors, 86—with T2, 5—T3, and 42 patients with tumors relapsing after failure of preceding various treatment modalities. Post-cryosurgery recurrence rate in patients with stage I BCC was 2.7%, with stage II tumors—5.6% and 34.9%—in patients with recurred tumors. Re-recurrence after cryoablation of recurrent tumors correlated with the tumor baseline size. The best aesthetic and long-term clinical results were documented in patients with lesions <1 cm in size with clear boundaries. Thus, cryosurgery is the method of choice for the majority of stage I basal cell carcinomas of the head. For patients with advanced and recurrent skin cancer, cryosurgery is relevant in rare cases selected according to refined indications.
