What are different types of skin cancer surgery?
Surgery is often one of the main treatment of skin cancer. There are several types of skin cancer surgery, including excision, MOHS surgery, cryosurgia, laser surgery and electrodesection. The type of recommended surgery will depend on several factors, such as the type of skin cancer, the phase of the disease and the age of the patient.
Melanoma, which is the most serious of skin cancer, is often treated with excision surgery. This procedure involves removing the entire cancerous tumor at once along with some surrounding tissue. In some cases, the surrounding lymph nodes are also removed. If the area is removed sufficiently large, grafting skin may be required to close the wound.
In some cases of melanoma, Mohs surgery may be performed, although it is most often used to treat basal cells and spinocellular skin cancer. This type of skin cancer surgery is considered less invasive than surgery. Usually they are performed on an outpatient basis without thus a general anesthesia.
During the Mohs surgery, a layer of skin tissue is removed and examined on abnormal skin cells. If cancer cells are found, another thin layer is removed and the test is repeated. The layers are removed until they have no cancer cells. Removing layers after a second allows faster healing and less frightening.
Another type of skin cancer surgery involves freezing cancer tissue. Cryosururgy uses liquid nitrogen to destroy skin cancer. Small cuts are made into the leather and a tool called Cryoprobe is inserted. Liquid nitrogen is placed on cancer. Cryosurgia freezes and destroys cancer cells. This procedure may be options if other types of surgery on skin cancer cannot be performed.
Laser surgery for skin cancer may be options if cancer is small or not too deep. The laser focuses on the regional core to kill cancer cells. Although the laser beamIt can be directed to remove the skin at different levels, most often used when cancer is superficial. When the laser removes deeper layers of the skin, more scarring generally leads.
Another possibility for superficial skin cancer is electroding. In this type of skin cancer surgery, cancer cells are discarded by a special tool and burned by electric currents. It is usually done only on skin cancer, which is considered small.