Skin Cancer Treatment Options
Information On Surgical and Non-Surgical Treatments for Skin Cancer
Jan 13, 2008
Several options are available for the effective and curative treatment of skin cancer. The first and most important treatment is to surgically remove the cancer so that it cannot continue to grow or spread to other areas of the body. Most skin cancers are cured surgically. Some, however, do require treatment in addition to surgery. This is called adjuvant therapy.
Surgical Treatment:
Your doctor might choose to remove the cancerous area in several different ways. The decision about which method to use will be made by you and your doctor based on your individual diagnosis, the area of the body involved, and whether it is a primary or first occurrence or a recurrence of a previous cancer. These options include:
- Curettage and Electrodessication: Cancerous area is scraped off, then open area is burned to destroy any remaining cancerous cells.
- Wide Local Excision: Cancerous lesion is surgically removed, along with a margin of healthy tissue.
- Mohs Micrographic Surgery: Cancerous lesion is surgically removed, mapped, and immediately studied under a microscope to determine if any cancerous cells remain.
- Amputation: Of finger or toe, only if recommended margins cannot be attained any other way.
Adjuvant Therapy:
Adjuvant, or additional, therapy is available to those whose skin cancer requires more treatment than surgical removal only. Adjuvant therapy is generally reserved for deeper melanomas and other skin cancers that have spread beyond the skin. These options include:
- Radiation: Destruction of remaining cancer cells with high-energy rays.
- Chemotherapy: Destroying remaining cancer cells with anti-cancer drugs, usually given intravenously.
- Immunotherapy: Using the patient’s own immune system to destroy the cancerous tissue.
- Sentinel Node Biopsy: Obtaining a biopsy from a lymph node by using a selective process.
- Additional Surgery: Removal of additional tissue, lymph nodes, or parts of organs.
Alternative and Complementary Therapies: These therapies are non-traditional therapies used in addition to or instead of traditional medical therapy. Vitamin supplements, massage therapy, and accupuncture are just a few examples.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor:
You will likely have many questions for the doctor. It can be helpful to write these down in advance so as not to forget to ask during your appointment. It can also be helpful to bring along a trusted friend or family member to your consultation to act as a “listener.” People often forget things when under stress, and talking about your own case of cancer is certainly stressful. Some questions you might ask include:
- What kind of skin cancer do I have?
- What stage is the cancer?
- What treatment do you recommend?
- Are there certain risks and side effects associated with this treatment?
- Is this treatment expected to be curative?
- Will there be significant scarring with this treatment?
- Will I be limited in my activities after treatment? If so, for how long?
- Will I need to have a skin graft following surgery?
- What type of pain control methods do you use?
- Are there specific aftercare instructions for the affected area?
- Does my insurance cover this treatment?
Suggested Reading:
Sources:
National Cancer Institute Cancer Topics
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
