Outstanding cancer care requires an unparalleled team. Our specialists in medical oncology, chemotherapy, radiation medicine, pathology, dermatology and plastic surgery all work and consult together to deliver you the most effective treatments.
Surgery is the most common method of treating smaller skin cancers. Three types of surgery are usually performed.
- Curettage and electrodesiccation. This is frequently used to remove superficial basal cell carcinomas and very small squamous cell carcinomas. Your doctor removes the cancer by scraping it, then uses an electrode to kill any remaining cancer cells
- Excision. This type of surgery is similar to a biopsy. Your physician cuts the small cancer out from the skin, then stitches it together to heal.
- Mohs surgery. This time-consuming surgery removes the skin layer by layer. It is generally used for larger tumors that have a high risk of coming back.
If your cancer has advanced, you could need additional surgeries. Depending on the location of the tumors, you could also need reconstructive surgery or a skin graft.
Radiation therapy is used to treat larger skin cancers. It is also used to remove tumors in places where surgery is not easy, like the eyelid or nose. Radiation may also be required after surgery to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. Learn more about our services by visiting our Radiation Oncology website.
Depending on the type of skin cancer you have, its location and how far it has spread, your physician may recommend one of the following treatments:
- Cryotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Targeted therapy
- Topical chemotherapy
