Treatment of Skin Cancer Patient Information

SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE SKIN

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Surgery to remove the cancer and as little of the normal tissue as possible. During the surgery, the doctor removes the cancer and then uses a microscope to look at the surgical area to make sure no cancer cells remain (micrographic surgery).

2. Surgery to remove the cancer from the skin along with some of the healthy skin around the cancer.

3. Surgery that uses an electric current to dehydrate the tumor (electrodesiccation), then uses a specialized surgical tool (curet) to remove the tumor.

4. Surgery that freezes and kills the cancer (cryosurgery).

5. Radiation therapy.

6. Topical chemotherapy.

7. Surgery using a highly focused beam of light that destroys only the cancer cells (laser therapy).

8. A clinical trial of biological therapy with or without chemoprevention therapy.

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