Recurrence rate of positive margin basal cell carcinoma: Results of a five‐year prospective study

The few previous studies on recurrence of incompletely excised basal cell carcinoma are retrospective, and the reported recurrence rate ranges from 19% to 67%. In a prospective study design, we found a recurrence rate of 41% in 34 surgically excised positive‐margin basal cell carcinomas. The mean time until tumor recurrence was 24.6 months. The mean follow‐up time in those patients remaining free of tumor was 61.4 months.