Recurrence rates for primary basal cell carcinoma vary with treatment modality. The 5-year recurrence rate for cryotherapy may be as low as 7.5% if lesions are chosen judiciously.[4] This percentage compares favorably with published recurrence rates following other procedures. Published rates include surgical excision, 10.1%; curettage and electrodesiccation, 7.7%; radiation therapy, 8.7%; and all non-Mohs modalities, 8.7%. Because these percentages are derived from various studies, rather than one randomized controlled study comparing the different modalities, they should be viewed as rough approximations. Well-circumscribed tumors are most suitable for cryotherapy. The indolent local growth of these well-circumscribed tumors accounts for the high cure rates quoted in the literature.
In most instances, reimbursement for cryotherapy treatment of skin cancers is at the same rate as for destruction of benign lesions.