Utility of dermoscopy for demarcation of surgical margins in Mohs micrographic surgery*

BACKGROUND Skin cancer is the most common malignancy and can be treated in various ways. One treatment modality is Mohs micrographic surgery. Due to the increasing incidence of skin cancer in the last decades, there is a need for improvement of the Mohs technique to optimize its effectiveness. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of dermoscopy to guide demarcation of Mohs micrographic surgery margins and ascertain whether this method can reduce operative time and, therefore, reduce surgical morbidity and cost. METHODS AND MATERIALS The sample comprised 44 patients who underwent Mohs micrographic surgery, allocated into two groups: the control group and the intervention group. In the latter, surgical margins were guided by dermoscopy. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups by chi-square analysis (p = 0.399). CONCLUSION Although outcomes were similar in the two groups, demonstrating that dermoscopy does not help in the demarcation of surgical margins for Mohs micrographic surgery, the study provides a practical proposal for improvement of the Mohs technique.