We believe our findings are clinically relevant, as they provide additional evidence for the theory of field cancerization as demonstrated by the nonnegligible rates of AKs and thus field damage with malignant potential in the skin immediately surrounding cutaneous malignancies. The limitations of our study, however, include a small sample size; no consideration of the effects of prior topical, field, or systemic treatments; and lack of a control group. Nevertheless, our findings emphasize the importance of assessing the extent of field damage when determining treatment strategies. Clinicians treating cutaneous malignancies should consider the need for field therapy, especially in sun-exposed regions, to avoid additional primary tumors.16 Further research is needed, however, to identify optimal methods for quantifying field damage clinically and determining the most effective treatment strategies.
