Skin Cancer Treatment Options

With modern treatment methods, skin cancer is fairly easily, and quickly, removed. Surgery is the most common course of treatment for skin cancer but your physician may also discuss topical chemotherapy, radiation therapy and photodynamic therapy with you. All treatment methods are fairly different so it's important to have a full understanding of what each treatment entails before undergoing the procedure.

Surgery

• Some of the most popular surgeries for skin cancer are excisional skin surgery and Mohs surgery. Excisional surgery is the most common skin cancer treatment surgery. During an excisional surgery, a surgeon numbs the area and removes the skin growth with the use of a scalpel. A sample of the skin around the growth is also taken for testing to ensure the cancer hasn't spread. During a Mohs surgery, the area is numbed and a surgeon shaves away layers of the skin. The surgeon examines the layers under a microscope and continues shaving layers away until cancerous cells are no longer seen under the microscope.

Topical Chemotherapy

• Topical chemotherapy treatment often comes in the form of lotions and creams. Topical chemotherapy is often recommended if the skin cancer covers a large area or if the physician keeps finding new cancers. Topical chemotherapy uses the anticancer drugs fluorouracil and imiquimod, which are effective in the treatment of both basal cell and squamous cell cancers. These topical creams are typically applied one or two times a day for several weeks.

Radiation

• Radiation therapy uses concentrated, high-energy rays to target and destroy cancerous cells using a machine. Radiation therapy treats both squamous and basal cell cancers. Radiation therapy is not the most common treatment for skin cancer but it is used if surgery is not an option or if cancer returns after surgery.

Photodynamic Therapy

• Photodynamic therapy uses a combination of drugs and light therapy to treat skin cancer. A photosensitizing chemical, or a chemical that makes the cells sensitive to light, is either applied in a cream or injected directly into the body. The chemical stays in abnormal cells longer than healthy cells and after several days, the area is exposed to a special wavelength of light, destroying the abnormal cancerous cells.

Biological Therapy

• Biological therapy is a skin cancer treatment that is currently under development. Medications like interferon, used for immunotherapy, are being studied to determine if they can be used to treat both non melanoma and melanoma cancers. Imiquimod, also used in topical chemotherapy, is being tested to determine whether it can enhance the immune system's reaction to cancer.