Skin Cancer Treatments

Even we Canadians, living far from the equator, are exposed on a daily basis to harmful UVA and UVB rays that are known to cause skin cancer. Luckily there are a number of highly successful skin cancer treatments in Toronto to remove cancer growths, both basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), from the skin including Mohs micrographic surgery, radiation, curettage, cryotherapy and surgical excision.

To find out more about skin cancer treatment, request a complimentary consultation online or call (888) 546-8179. 

Choosing to Get Skin Cancer Surgery: Who's a Good Candidate?

Skin cancer surgery is reserved for those who have received a diagnosis of skin cancer that has been confirmed by biopsy. If you have received such a diagnosis, then you may be a good candidate for treatment.

If you have been exposed to ultraviolet radiation, then you may be at risk for developing skin cancer. Additional risk factors for skin cancer include:

• Immunosuppression
• Genetic susceptibility
• Fair skin, blond or red hair, light-colored eyes

Your Skin Cancer Surgery

Once a biopsy has confirmed diagnosis, your surgeon will consulate with you in order to specify the best approach to treat your particular case of skin cancer.

Curettage or surgical excision are often used for smaller cancer tumors while Mohs micrographic surgery is more commonly used for advanced stages of cancer. Mohs is widely regarded as an effective surgical modality because of its up to 99% success rate.

In a Mohs procedure your surgeon will make a first-level incision in order to collect a tissue sample for microscope analysis. The melanoma will then be excised, layer by layer, until only healthy tissue remains.

With cryotherapy, liquid nitrogen is applied to the cancerous tissue, freezing and destroying it. If needed, the procedure may be repeated to ensure total destruction of the malignant cells.

Radiation therapy is generally only selected if the cancer has spread to organs, lymph nodes, or tumors that are surgically untreatable. During this procedure, X–ray beams are directed at the tumor, a procedure that must be repeated a number of times over the course of weeks.

For more minor cancer tumors, cutterage may be used to scrape the cancer away. An electrocautery needle is then applied in order to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Alternatively, surgical excision can be used to remove the tumor. In this case, a scalpel is used to remove the cancerous tissue as well as the surrounding border of normal skin. The excised tissue is then examined to verify that all the malignant cells have been removed.

Results and Aftercare for Skin Cancer Surgery

Each of the surgical treatments for skin cancer entail different postoperative steps. Following Mohs surgery, patients commonly experience only minor discomfort, bruising and swelling.

You may need to arrange follow-up visits with Dr. Kara in order to ensure that the lesion is healing properly and that the cancer was thoroughly removed. It is also critical that you begin to use proper skin care in Toronto including sunscreen and take other precautionary measures in order to prevent future skin cancer development.