TREATMENT OPTIONS
In the event that Skin Cancer is diagnosed, many treatments are available to cure the disease. Treatments include: a variety of surgeries, radiation, photodynamic therapy (PDT), chemotherapy, and medications. Other new treatments are currently being tested in clinical trials.
SURGERY
Mohs Micrographic Surgery: The tumor is cut from the skin in thin layers. Each layer is then viewed in a microscope and checked for additional cancerous cells. Until these microscopic tests show no more cancerous cells, layers of the tumor are continuously removed. This type of surgery is typically used to facial skin cancer since it removes the smallest amount of non-cancerous tissue as possible.
Simple excision: The tumor is simply cut from the skin along with some of the normal skin around it.
Shave excision: The abnormal area is shaved off the surface of the skin with a small blade.
Electrodesiccation and curettage: The tumor is cut from the skin with a sharp, spoon-shaped tool. The area is then treated with an electric current that stops the bleeding and destroys cancer cells that remain around the edge of the wound. The process may be repeated one to three times during the surgery to remove all of the cancer.
Cryosurgery: A treatment that uses an instrument to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue. Also known as cryotherapy.
Laser surgery: A surgical procedure that uses a laser beam as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove a surface lesion like as a tumor.
Dermabrasion: Removal of the top layer of skin using a rotating wheel or small particles to rub away skin cells.
Side Effects include: scarring and pigment loss
RADIATION THERAPY
External Radiation Therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer.
Internal Radiation Therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer.
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The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type of cancer being treated. External radiation therapy is used to treat skin cancer. Cure rates range from about 85 to 95 percent, since the technique does not precisely target cancer cells at the margins of the tumor. The treatment can result in long-term cosmetic problems and radiation risks, as well as multiple visits to complete the treatment. Due to this, though this therapy limits damage to adjacent tissue, it is mainly used for tumors that are hard to treat surgically, as well as patients that are advised against surgery.
Side effects include: long term cosmetic problems and radiation risks.
PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY (PTD)
Photodynamic Therapy is used especially for growths on the face and scalp. To start the PDT, chemicals are applied to the cancerous growths by a doctor. These chemicals react to lights that take the abnormal or cancerous cells up and raise them off the skin.this treatment is specifically used for squamous cell carcinomas. PDT is primarily used of early noninvasive tumors , but its reoccurrence rate ranges greatly which is why the technique has yet to officially be recommended for skin cancer treatment.Â
Side effects include: redness, swelling, photosensitivity, and sun sensitivity.
Uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy treatments are routine for cancer patients and must be repeated various times for effectiveness. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the condition being treated.
Side effects include: drowsiness, nausea, loss of hair
Medications prescribed to treat skin cancer include 5-fluorouracil and imiquimod. Imiquimod stimulates the immune system to produce interferon, a chemical that attacks cancerous and precancerous cells, while 5-fluorouracil is a topical form of chemotherapy that has a direct toxic effect on cancerous cells.
Side Effects include: scarring or need for reconstructive surgery
