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.