Surgery is the most common treatment for all skin cancers. The
cutting out of the cancerous tissue (and often the surrounding area to be sure
it hasn’t spread) is known as excision. Excision is the process that
comes to mind when most people hear the word “surgery.”
The surgical removal of lymph nodes is called lymphadenectomy.
Sometimes this is done to see if the lymph nodes (important pockets of
cells located at various places along the body’s blood network) are carrying
cancerous cells. If cancerous cells are found in the lymph, removal is the best
way of preventing their spread.
Another surgical procedure used to remove skin cancer is called curettage
and electrocautery. The doctor will use a spoon-shaped instrument known as
a curette to scrape away the cancer, and then an electrically heated
needle is used to cauterize (stop the bleeding) the wound.
Cryotherapy, also known as cryosurgery, is often used when the
cancerous tumor is small and only affecting the surface layer of skin. A spray
of liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the area, and sometimes more than
one treatment may be necessary.
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs. While the chemotherapy
treatments for most cancers are given through the spine, through a vein,
through the mouth, or through an injection, treatment for skin cancer may
include a topical (applied to the skin) chemotherapy called fluorouracil.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is also known as photoradiation
therapy, phototherapy, or photochemotherapy. The procedure includes a drug
referred to as a photosensitizing agent. The drug, applied to the skin
or injected into the bloodstream, reacts with oxygen when exposed to light and
forms a cancer-killing chemical.
Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, is the use of
high-energy rays to kill the cancerous cells while doing as little damage to
the surrounding healthy tissue as possible. Radiation is very useful in many
cases where the cancer is in a location that would be difficult to treat with
surgery or cryotherapy, and also in cases where surgery might leave
disfigurement, such as the face, the ears, etc.