Skin Cancer Screening

What types of skin cancer do we treat?

We treat a variety of skin cancers, but here are the most common.

How is skin cancer treated?

  • Wide excision
    • This can be used to treat both primary and recurrent tumors by removing the tumor and an area of healthy skin (margin) around the tumor
    • This technique involves removing a margin of normal skin from around the cancer
    • Typically the wound is closed with stitches
    • Sometimes the wound may be closed with skin from another arae of the body (skin graft) or healthy skin moved from a nearby area (skin flap)
  • Electrodesiccation and Currettage (ED&C)
    • This technique is used to treat basal cells and squamous cells
    • It invovles scraping the tumor with a curette (a surgical instrument shaped like a long spoon) and then using an electric needle to gentle burn (cauterize) the remaining cancer cells
  • Imiquimod
    • "Cancer Cream"
    • Used in conjunction with ED&C
    • Typically used over 6 weeks
  • Mohs Micrographic Surgery
    • This can be used to treat both squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma
    • Individual layers of the cancer are removed and examined under a microscope one at a time until all the cancer has been removed
    • The wound is closed with sutures