Introduction:

Basal cell carcinoma is one of the types of skin cancer with the highest incidence. The use of HeberFERON® has shown an effective clinical response.

Objective:

To evaluate the response of HeberFERON® in patients with BCC associated with COVID-19 and its behavior in patients with the same dermatological diagnosis without previous treatment with that drug, treated with surgery.

Materials and methods:

A descriptive and retrospective observational study was conducted in a universe of 184 adult patients with basal cell carcinoma. The variables analyzed were age, sex, skin phototype, associated comorbidities, SARS-CoV-2 infection, associated to previously treatment with HeberFERON® or surgery; time between treatment received and suffering from COVID-19; severity of symptoms. The results were expressed in tables.

Results:

94 patients were treated with HeberFERON® for basal cell carcinoma, and 90 were treated with surgery. There was a predominance of male patients, aged over 60 years, skin phototype II-III, with cardiovascular morbidities. Of them, 24 (25.5%) were positive to COVID-19 (67.7%), and 83.3% developed mild symptoms. Of those treated with surgery for basal cell carcinoma, 61 were positive to COVID-19 (67,7%), and 55.7% had severe symptoms. During the HeberFERON® treatment cycle for basal cell carcinoma, 66.7% became ill with COVID-19 between 16 and 32 weeks. After 32 weeks one deceased was reported.

Conclusions:

Patients treated with surgery without prior HeberFERON® had more infections with Covid-19, the deaths associated with it predominating, being less in those who received it. Of those previously treated with HeberFERON® for basal cell carcinoma, 74.5% did not become ill with COVID-19, despite having been 52.8% contacts to SARS-CoV-2 positive people.

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