Predictive value of basal cell carcinoma biopsies with negative margins: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Pathology reports of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) biopsies often contain comments of positive or negative margins, with only 1%-2% of the margin evaluated. The negative predictive value (NPV) of biopsy margin status on residual BCC is unknown.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the NPV of BCC biopsy margin status on the absence of residual BCC in the corresponding excision.