Association between number of stages in Mohs micrographic surgery and surgeon-, patient-, and tumor-specific features: a cross-sectional study of practice patterns of 20 early- and mid-career Mohs surgeons.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the number of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) stages per tumor taken by early- to mid-career Mohs surgeons and to assess other factors affecting number of stages.

METHODS: Statistical analysis of MMS logs of 20 representative early- to mid-career surgeons.

RESULTS: There was no difference in stages when surgeons were divided into two categories based on whether they had more than 500 cases per year or more than 5 years of experience. Similarly, when surgeons were categorized according to geographic location, there was no difference in number of stages. Anatomic location was associated with the number of stages (analysis of variance, p<.001), with the greatest number of stages for nose (2.01) and ear (2.06) lesions and the fewest for neck (1.47), back and shoulder (1.47), and lower extremity (1.33) lesions. Basal cell carcinomas required 1.92 stages (median 2.00), compared with 1.66 (median 1.00) for squamous cell carcinoma (p<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Early- and mid-career Mohs surgeons appear to remove tumors with similar numbers of stages regardless of their experience, case volume, or geographic location. Number of stages varies with anatomic location and tumor type. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.