How is skin cancer treated?
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Treatment options for skin cancer depend on the type of skin cancer, the size and location of the tumor, and whether the cancer has spread. Many times, doctors will use surgery as the first treatment, and there are many methods of surgery. Excisional surgery involves simply cutting out the growth and some surrounding tissue. A procedure called Mohs surgery is another method, which involves removing the tumor layer by layer and testing each layer for cancer. Curettage and electrodesiccation may also be used, which involves scraping off the tumor and then burning the base of the tumor with an electric needle. In other cases, doctors may recommend cryosurgery (freezing the tumor) or laser therapy (burning the tumor).
Non-surgical procedures may also be used to treat skin cancer. Doctors may recommend chemotherapy, either topical (applied to skin) or systemic (injected or taken by mouth), which uses strong drugs to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy may also be used to treat skin cancer, and it is often used along with surgery. Talk to your doctor to determine the best treatment method for you.Treatment options for skin cancer depend on the type of skin cancer, the size and location of the tumor, and whether the cancer has spread. Many times, doctors will use surgery as the first treatment, and there are many methods of surgery.... More -
Johns Hopkins Medicine answered:When caught early, most skin cancers can be easily treated as an outpatient procedure with a very high cure rate. The specific treatment varies depending on the type of skin cancer.
The most common and effective treatments for nonmelanoma skin cancer are surgical. Pre-cancerous actinic keratoses (AKs), which can go on to become squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in a small percentage of cases, appear as rough, scaly bumps, most commonly on sun-exposed parts of the face. These growths are often treated with liquid nitrogen spray or 5-fluorouracil cream.
Very shallow basal cell carcinomas and SCCs are often treated by scraping them and cauterizing the base, especially if a soft, flat, white resulting scar is not a problem. This is called "curettage and electrodessication" or "C + E".
More invasive tumors are best excised with margins to insure complete removal. Finally, the most invasive and difficult-to-visualize tumors, including recurrent cancers and those located in very visible areas, such as on the ears, eyes, nose, or lip, may benefit from the use of Mohs micrographic surgery.
Talk to your dermatologist to discuss your options.
Helpful? 1 person found this helpfulWhen caught early, most skin cancers can be easily treated as an outpatient procedure with a very high cure rate. The specific treatment varies depending on the type of skin cancer. The most common and effective treatments for nonmelanoma skin... More -
Dr. Nathan W. Hanson of Intermountain Healthcare answered:There are a variety of ways that skin cancer can be treated, depending often on the type of skin cancer. The most common types of skin cancer, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, are often treated with either elliptical excisional surgery, in which a margin of normal skin is taken around the tumor and sutured, under local anesthesia, or sometimes with a technique called Mohs micrographic surgery. This technique is used for skin cancers in high risk locations, skin cancers with high risk behavior, recurrent skin cancers, or skin cancers in younger patients and other indications. It allows complete margin evaluation while treating the skin cancer to ensure very high cure rates. Some skin cancers are also treated with electrodessication and curettage, a way of "scraping" the skin cancer away. Even topical creams are used for some skin cancers, again depending on the subtype of skin cancer.
There are a variety of ways that skin cancer can be treated, depending often on the type of skin cancer. The most common types of skin cancer, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, are often treated with either elliptical excisional surgery, in... More -
Donna Hill Howes answered:Four types of standard treatment are used for skin cancer:
Surgery - One or more of the following surgical procedures may be used to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer or actinic keratosis:
- Mohs micrographic surgery: The tumor is cut from the skin in thin layers. During surgery, the edges of the tumor and each layer of tumor removed are viewed through a microscope to check for cancer cells. Layers continue to be removed until no more cancer cells are seen. This type of surgery removes as little normal tissue as possible and is often used to remove skin cancer on the face.
- Simple excision: The tumor is cut from the skin along with some of the normal skin around it.
- Shave excision: The abnormal area is shaved off the surface of the skin with a small blade.
- Electrodesiccation and curettage: The tumor is cut from the skin with a curette (a sharp, spoon-shaped tool). A needle-shaped electrode is then used to treat the area with an electric current that stops the bleeding and destroys cancer cells that remain around the edge of the wound. The process may be repeated one to three times during the surgery to remove all of the cancer.
- Cryosurgery: A treatment that uses an instrument to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue, such as carcinoma in situ. This type of treatment is also called cryotherapy.
- Laser surgery: A surgical procedure that uses a laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove a surface lesion such as a tumor.
- Dermabrasion: Removal of the top layer of skin using a rotating wheel or small particles to rub away skin cells.
Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.
Photodynamic therapy - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a cancer treatment that uses a drug and a certain type of laser light to kill cancer cells.Four types of standard treatment are used for skin cancer: Surgery - One or more of the following surgical procedures may be used to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer or actinic keratosis: Mohs micrographic surgery: The tumor is cut from the skin... More
