Outcomes of Mohs Micrographic Surgery Compared to Wide Local Excision for Malignant Melanoma and Melanoma In Situ

Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), traditionally used for non-melanoma skin cancers, has been used for some cases of melanoma. Using the TriNetX (TriNetX, LLC, Cambridge, MA, USA) database, two analyses were performed. The first compared wide local excision (WLE) and MMS for the management of malignant melanoma (MM) of the face, scalp, and neck. The second analysis compared WLE and melanoma in situ (MIS) of the same anatomical areas. WLE was associated with a significantly higher incidence of secondary and unspecified malignant neoplasms of the lymph nodes of the head and neck and secondary malignant neoplasm of the bone, lung, and brain in the MM analysis. In the MIS analysis, WLE was found to have higher rates of secondary malignant neoplasms of the head and neck, bone, lung, and brain. The post-operative complication rates were similar between the MMS and WLE groups in both analyses.