We're very fortunate to live in a day
and age where there's lots of different options to treat
your non-melanoma skin cancers.
But before we get to the topic of how we treat these I'd really
appreciate it
if you'd watch the videos on what a non-melanoma
skin cancer is,
and the two main ones are basal cell cancers
and squamous cell cancers.
So please click on the videos that
you're going to see on this page
so you can get a better understanding
of what you've been diagnosed with and then please
go to the different treatment videos that are also going
to be found on this page.
Now, you're going to see a little graph on this page
that has four different boxes. Three of those boxes are
surgical approaches,
and one of those boxes is the non-surgical approach
of superficial radiation therapy.
Please understand
that we still consider surgical approaches
the primary way
of treating non-melanoma skin cancers.
Superficial radiation therapy is a great modality
if a surgical approach is not the optimal approach for you
after you talk to your local
dermatologist and you consider what's right to treat
your non-melanoma skin cancer.
Now for the surgical approaches,
there's basically three of them, and we're going to start
from the one that has the least potential
of returning
and we're going to go back to the one that has the most
potential of returning
or recurring. So kind of the gold standard for
your non-melanoma skin cancers
if they fall in certain areas is Mohs micrographic surgery.
It tends to be the most expensive option.
It also is the option where you're back
and forth in the surgical room.
And so you'll probably be waiting for about
three hours during the procedure before we can get clear margins
and close you up.
So please click on the box that says Mohs micrographic surgery
and a video will play
so that you can understand more about that procedure.
Now, the next procedure is an excision,
and excision is a procedure that has a cure rate somewhere
between Mohs and Electro-Dessication
and Curettage, just kind of right in the middle.
So it's a relatively quick procedure
and it's good for certain areas
of the body just like Mohs is preferred in some areas, excision
is preferred in others.
So, please click the box that says excision
and get acquainted with that procedure to see
if it's right for you.
Now the next on this list of surgical approaches is
this, ED&C,
or an electrodesiccation and curettage. Now the cure rate
for this is probably the lowest when compared
to Mohs or an excision.
So has the highest chance of coming back. And all we
basically do is scrape and burn the top portion
of the skin.
So this is a treatment modality that can be considered when
the cancer is on the surface
of the skin. Doesn't make a lot of sense to do this procedure
in the vast majority of times
if the cancer has depth, and all we're treating is
the surface.
So please click the box on what an ED&C is
so that you can become acquainted
with that procedure.
Now, the last of them is the superficial
radiation therapy and that's
a non-surgical approach.
And again, surgical approaches are preferred
for the vast majority of non-melanoma skin cancers.
But radiation does have a great place.
So please watch the video so that you can determine
if radiation therapy is appropriate
for you. Just click the box and it will take you
right to it.
Now the last thing I'm going to say is
that you've been diagnosed with a non-melanoma skin cancer,
which means you have an increased risk
of developing more of those in the future.
So we really need your help to look yourself over once
a month in the mirror, and notice of anything
is new or changing or growing.
And if it is, come back and see your local dermatologist
as quickly
as you can.
You should also be seeing your local dermatologist
at least every year for the rest of your life.
Because fact is if you're monitoring your body,
and we're monitoring your body, and everybody's
paying attention?
These non-melanoma skin cancers will most likely not be
any major impact on your life.
And as always thank you for allowing us to help
you become comfortable in your skin.