Surgery

Surgery is the most common and most successful method of treating nonmelanoma skin cancer. The goals of surgery are to:

• Remove the entire skin cancer and a margin of healthy skin tissue around the cancer to reduce the chance of recurrence.
• Preserve nearby skin tissue that is free of cancer and minimize scarring after surgery.

Surgery Choices

The main types of surgery for nonmelanoma skin cancer include:

• Mohs micrographic surgery. This surgery removes the skin cancer one layer at a time, checking each layer for cancer cells right after it is removed.
• Excision. Excision removes the skin cancer along with some healthy skin tissue around it (margin).
• Curettage and electrosurgery. Curettage uses a spoon-shaped instrument (curette) to scrape off the skin cancer, and electrosurgery controls the bleeding and destroys any remaining cancer cells.

Each type of treatment has advantages and disadvantages. Discuss your options with your doctor.

What To Think About

If squamous cell carcinoma has spread to the lymph nodes, surgery to remove the affected lymph nodes (lymphadenectomy) may be done. Radiation or chemotherapy may be recommended after surgery.