Interventions for Basal Cell Carcinoma: Summary of Main Comparisons From a Cochrane Review and a Practical Interpretation of Findings

Abstract

Numerous surgical and nonsurgical modalities are available to treat basal cell carcinoma (BCC), but their true effectiveness and safety is unknown. This article summarizes the evidence presented in a recent Cochrane review and aims to facilitate the interpretation of the review's findings for the Spanish and Latin American scientific communities. Much of the evidence the reviewers found came from single studies, preventing meta-analysis. Conventional surgical excision continues to be the most effective treatment for low-risk BCC. Most studies had small sample sizes, and some had problems with blinding, limitations which will have affected the assessment of subjective outcomes, such as pain and cosmetic results. The authors identified a lack of standardization in relation to recurrences and cosmetic outcomes that threatens not only the internal validity of the studies but also their external validity and reproducibility.

Keywords: Basal cell carcinoma; Carcinoma basocelular; Cochrane; Intervenciones; Interventions; Revisión sistemática; Systematic review.