Abstract: Objective: To compare the efficacy of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) and wide local excision (WLE) for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and to explore the factors affecting the efficacy of BCC. Methods: The data of hospitalized patients with BCC in the dermatosurgery ward of our hospital from November 2013 to November 2015 was statistically analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software. Results: A total of 121 patients with BCC were collected, and the tumors were mainly located on the head and face. In the extent of resection, the WLE group was significantly larger than the MMS group (6.3±2.9 mm vs 4.5±2.2 mm), and the tumor resection rate was higher in the MMS group than in the WLE group (100.0% vs 88.7%, P＜0.05). There was no significant difference of resection rate between MMS and WLE after a small amount of unresected tumors in MMS were expanded by 2 mm (P=0.584). The efficacy of WLE was equivalent to MMS when resection margin was 4～5 mm. Conclusion: MMS has a higher tumor resection rate and a lower recurrence rate than WLE. When the implementation of MMS is limited, 4～5 mm surgical margin is recommended.

Key words: basal cell carcinoma, Mohs micrographic surgery, neoplasm recurrence