What Are the Treatments for Basal Skin Cancer?

Basal skin cancer, also referred to as Basal Cell Carcinoma, is the most common form of skin cancer. Basal cancer is usually found on very exposed areas of the skin, like the neck and head. It usually doesn't metastasize, and it rarely leads to death if it is caught and treated early. There are many different ways to treat this condition.

Currettage and Dessiccation

• Using a spoon-like instrument, your surgeon scoops out the cancerous tumor and sends an electric current through the affected area.

Photodynamic Therapy

• For this treatment, you will take a medication that begins targeting the cancer and then have a laser light therapy that helps the medication destroy the tumor.

Radiation

• Radiation, which is used most often to treat a variety of cancers, treats cancerous tumors in the body with ionizing radiation.

Mohs Surgery

• Referred to as a microscopically controlled excision, Mohs surgery removes small pieces of the tumor, which are looked at under a microscope; more microscopic removal is performed (immediately or or in subsequent days) until the cancerous tumor is gone.

Surgical Excision

• A surgeon marks the outer areas of the tumor with a marker pen, and then the cancerous tumor is taken out. Then the area is stitched up.

Cryosurgery

• This method freezes the cancerous tumor to kill the cancer cells.