Verrucous carcinoma of the skin: long-term follow-up results following surgical therapy.

BACKGROUND: Owing to the benign appearance and slow growth of verrucous carcinoma of the skin, its diagnosis and therapeutic management still pose problems.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to point out clinical and histopathologic features of verrucous carcinoma of the skin and to provide diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines on the basis of the long-term results from 20 patients.

METHODS: A retrospective study of the long-term results of 20 patients treated surgically for verrucous carcinoma of the skin is presented. In 16 cases, a wide resection with histopathologic examination of the margins was possible. Two tumors were shaved; 1 case required below-knee amputation and 1 patient refused primary amputation. In April 1999, 9 of the 10 surviving patients underwent physical examination, ultrasonography of the regional lymph nodes and the abdomen, and chest X-ray. The protocols of autopsies or postmortem examinations of the deceased patients were consulted.

RESULTS: The deceased patients achieved an average tumor-free survival period of 86.1 months; eight of the surviving patients had an average tumor-free follow-up of 127.4 months. Two patients suffered recurrences.

CONCLUSION: Curative treatment can be achieved by timely and complete resection of verrucous carcinoma of the skin, even in advanced cases.