Electrochemotherapy for basal cell carcinoma in the head and neck region: 5-year follow-up from the Insp-ECT registry.

Abstract

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a cutaneous malignancy that typically appears in sun-exposed areas. We analyzed data from the Insp-ECT registry of all patients affected by BCC in the head and neck region. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of electrochemotherapy (ECT) on a 5-year basis.

Patients and methods: A cohort of 132 patients was included. They were treated by ECT according to the current Standard Operating Procedures. The median age was 74 years (range 41-93). There was a median of 1 nodule per patient (range 1-7), and the median size of the lesions was 1.4 cm (range 0.5-5.0 cm).

Results: Patients tolerated ECT well, and 96% agreed to repeat it if needed. The side effects were mild and temporary. All patients achieved a complete clinical response after 1 to 3 ECT sessions. During the first year of follow-up, 4 (3%) patients experienced recurrence, which was treated (2 with ECT, 1 with surgery, and 1 with a combination of ECT and surgery), after which they remained free of disease until the end of follow-up at 5 years. Five patients reported recurrence thereafter and were treated according to their condition. At the 5-year follow-up, the disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 92% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 87%-96%). At that time, 3 patients were alive with disease (2%), and 124 patients were free of disease (98%).

Conclusions: This study shows the feasibility and efficacy of ECT treatment in elderly patients with BCC tumors in aesthetically and functionally sensitive areas, with negligible toxicity. Comparable efficacy to other treatment modalities was demonstrated at 1 year and 5 years of follow-up in terms of DFS.