Skin Cancers can be Treated Using Surgical and Non-Surgical Treatments
Surgical treatments used for treatment of skin cancers are physical treatments to remove the tumour. Depending on the thickness of the lesion the treatment may be more or less invasive. Thicker tumours are generally treated with excision and techniques include elipse (boat shaped excision), flaps and grafts. On occasion the wound may be left open for a period of time to await results of histopathology (as in the so called 'Slow Moh's'), but in most cases the wound is closed immediately following the removal of the tumour. Surgical treatments also include diathermy and serial curettage. This is usually used for superficial tumours on areas of the body where recurrence is less likely. Both small and large tumours can be treated with this technique.
Non-surgical treatments are treatments using medications to attack and remove the tumour. They include Aldara (Imiquimod), Efudix, and Metvix PDT (Photodynamic therapy). These treatments are generally used for lesions which are thin and on areas of the body where recurrence is less likely, although small superficial lesions on higher-risk areas may be suitable for these treatments.
