Mohs micrographic surgery
- What is skin cancer?
- What are basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas?
- What about melanoma?
- How successful is the treatment of skin cancer?
- What is Mohs surgery?
- How do I prepare for the day of surgery?
- What happens the day of surgery?
- What can I expect after the surgery is complete?
- Will I develop more skin cancers?
- Patient questionnaire (PDF file) -
Please print, fill out, sign and bring with you to your surgery appointment.
Dr. Neil Swanson, Dr. Anna Bar
and Dr. Ken K. Lee
What are basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas?
Both of these cancers behave and are treated similarly. The difference
lies in the cell from which it originates within the skin. Often, this
can only be distinguished by examining the skin under a microscope.
Basal
cell carcinoma is the most common cancer of any type with over 1,000,000
new cases a year. Both basal and squamous cell carcinoma most commonly
occur on the head and neck. The carcinoma often begins as a small bump
that can look like a pimple but will continue to enlarge, often bleeds,
and does not heal completely. It may be red, flesh-colored or darker
than the surrounding skin. Basal cell carcinoma rarely spreads (metastasizes)
to distant parts of the body. Instead, it grows larger and deeper, destroying
nearby parts of the body in its path.
Squamous cell carcinoma behaves locally like basal cell carcinoma. However,
certain tumors can metastasize (spread elsewhere) from the skin. This will be discussed with
you prior to surgery.
The abnormal growth (cancer) originates in the uppermost layer of the skin. The cancer then grows downward, forming root and fingerlike projections under the surface of the skin. Unfortunately, at times these roots are so subtle they cannot be seen without the aid of a mocroscope. Therefore, what you see on your skin is sometimes only a small portion of the total tumor. There are several different types of basal and squamous cell carcinoma. It is important to distinguish these types prior to treatment, as different therapies may be required. For this reason a biopsy is usually performed to treatment.
The most common association with skin cancer is long-term exposure to sunlight. This is why skin cancers develop most often on the face and the arms (sun-exposed body parts). They occur more commonly in fair-skinned people than dark-skinned people, and in the United States they are found most frequently in the southern (sun-belt) areas. Superficial x-rays, which were used many years ago for treatment of certain skin diseases, may result in skin cancer many years later. Trauma (scars), certain chemicals and rare inherited diseases may also contribute to the development of skin cancer.