Comparison of electronic brachytherapy and Mohs micrographic surgery for the treatment of early-stage non-melanoma skin cancer: a matched pair cohort study

Purpose: High-dose-rate electronic brachytherapy (EBT) provides a non-surgical treatment option for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). This matched-pair cohort study compared the outcomes of treatment with EBT to those of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) in patients with NMSC.

Material and methods: At four treatment centers, patients treated with EBT were case matched to patients treated with MMS based on retrospectively-collected patient age, lesion size, location and type, and year of treatment. Follow-up data were prospectively collected and included local recurrence, toxicities, cosmesis, and patient-reported outcomes.

Results: The 369 patients (188 in the EBT treatment group and 181 in the MMS treatment group) had 416 lesions (208 in the EBT group and 208 in the MMS group), including 226 basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and 190 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Most patients were Caucasian (98.9% and 99.5%) and male (65.4% and 66.3%) of median age 80.7 (range: 61-98) (EBT) and 76.8 (range: 51-98) years (MMS). Most lesions were size > 1 cm and ≤ 2 cm, and located on the head. At mean 3.4 years post-treatment, 99.5% of EBT, and 100.0% of MMS-treated lesions were free of recurrence (p = ns). One recurrence was noted in the EBT group. Physicians rated cosmesis as “excellent” or “good” in 97.6% of EBT-treated lesions, and 95.7% of MMS-treated lesions.

Conclusions: This matched-pair cohort study supports the use of EBT as an effective non-surgical treatment option for NMSC with equivalent recurrence rates and cosmetic outcomes to MMS in appropriately-selected patients with early stage NMSC at extended follow-up.