Booklet: What You Need to Know about Skin Cancer

Treatment Planning

In treating skin cancer, the doctor's main goal is to remove or destroy the cancer completely with as small a scar as possible. To plan the best treatment for each patient, the doctor considers the location and size of the cancer, the risk of scarring, and the person's age, general health, and medical history.

It is sometimes helpful to have the advice of more than one doctor before starting treatment. It may take a week or two to arrange for a second opinion, but this short delay will not reduce the chance that treatment will be successful. There are a number of ways to find a doctor for a second opinion:

• The patient's doctor may be able to suggest a doctor, such as a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon, who has a special interest in skin cancer.
• The Cancer Information Service, at 1-800-4-CANCER, can tell callers about treatment facilities, including cancer centers and other programs that are supported by the National Cancer Institute.
• Patients can get the names of doctors from local and national medical societies, a nearby hospital, or a medical school.
• The Directory of Medical Specialists lists doctors' names and gives their background. It is in most public libraries.

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