Secondary intention healing time of postoperative surgical cancer skin wounds with a biosynthetic porcine type I collagen dressing. A 306-patient retrospective, observational study.

Abstract

Background: Biosynthetic porcine type I collagen dressing is useful to close ulcers and secondary intention healing of surgical cancer wounds.

Objective: To identify factors associated with the healing time of such wounds.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients on oncological dermatological surgery in a cancer center. Healing time was studied based on age, sex, personal history of comorbidities, usual medication, anatomical location, type of surgery performed and size of the defect. Statistical analysis was performed using the ANOVA test and logistic regression.

Results: A total of 306 patients were included with a median age of 73 years (62.4%, men). The statistically significantly characteristics associated with a healing time ≤ 66 days were location-auricle, nose, inner canthus, hand, retroauricular region and nail bed-use of the Mohs technique and defect sizes ≤ 5.28 cm².

Limitations: This is a retrospective study from a single center.

Conclusion: The use of biosynthetic porcine type I collagen dressings for the definitive closure of dermatological surgical cancer wounds seems particularly suitable for small defects of the inner canthus of the eye, hand, auricle, nose, forehead, retroauricular region, and nail bed.