Treatment for Skin Cancer

Usually, in the case of BCC and SCC, the cancerous lesion is surgically removed. Malignant melanoma can be more complicated and require several methods of treatment including surgery, therapy by radiation and chemotherapy.

Those who cannot undergo surgery can benefit from extreme radiation therapy during which a small radiation beam is used to target a skin lesion. This kills the cancerous cells in the lesion.

Surgery for Skin Cancer

There are a number of techniques to remove small lesion such as simple excision, curettage (where the tissue is burned using an electric needle), electrodesiccation and cryosurgery (using liquid nitrogen to freeze the area).

Large tumors, recurrent tumors, lesions in sensitive areas may be removed by Mohs micrographic surgery in which the tissues are removed layer by layer until a layer of cancer free tissue is reached.

In the case of malignant melanoma, 1-2 cm of normal skin is removed along with the tumor to prevent malignancy. Neighboring lymph nodes may also be removed in some cases.