Skin cancer biopsy is necessary when a diagnosis is not clear. There are cases when different skin conditions look similar. Then an extra information is needed. Such an information is provided after an analysis with microscope (histological test). Skin cancer biopsy is not only important for diagnosis specification but for the best treatment choice as well.
After a skin cancer is diagnosed, doctor determines the method of skin cancer removal.
90% of basal and squamous cell skin cancer cases are fully treatable. It can be noticed that patients with skin cancer are treated in various ways, even though the disease is the same. Every patient‘s tumor differs from others in size, form, location, depth, spread into other body parts, therefore doctor decides on the most effective treatment for a particular patient.
Skin cancer removal surgery is one of the ways to treat skin cancer. Doctor removes a tumor together with a part of surrounding, healthy looking skin in order not to leave any cancerous cells. Usually skin cancer surgery is performed in a local anaesthesia, patient is able to go home the same day. At first, wounds do not look beautiful but during some time scars disappear and become less and less noticeable.
Surgery for skin cancer removal is a most oftenly applied skin cancer treatment.
Lymph node removal. If a diagnosed squamous cell skin cancer is spread to nearby lymph nodes, doctor may recommend not only to perform a surgery to remove skin cancer but lymph nodes as well. Such a surgery is performed under the local anaesthesia.
Cryodestruction. If a tumor is small or surfice, it can be removed using a certain technique of tumor freezing – cryodestruction. After the procedure, a scab is formed, which drops in a month. The tumor should be gone, oly a white scar might remain.
Laser treatment. Skin cancer removal using a laser is applied more and more often nowadays. Usually, small tumors are removed. Such method of removal leaves smaller scars, therefore it is applied in such cases when a tumor occurs in visible areas of body, for example, instead of a surgery for skin cancer on face.
Photodynamic therapy – during the procedure a substance sensitive to a light is applied on a skin lesion and after 3-6 hours the area is enlightened with special rays.
Radiation therapy – one of a complex skin cancer treatment methods applied to a quarter of patients. This method is applied when skin cancer appears in places that are difficult to perform a surgery in.
All in all, only after a full examination doctor decides upon the most effective treatment method in particular patient’s case.
