There are different types of skin cancer such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and mealnoma and treatment for the condition depends on its type and stage. This is determined after a skin biopsy, wherein a sample of the infected skin is removed for lab analysis to confirm the presence of cancer. Oncologists follow a combination of treatment methods after taking into account multiple factors.
Treatment Options for Skin Cancer
Treating skin cancer at an early stage is easier when compared to later stages. It is important to consult a doctor when an abnormal growth or appearance on the skin is found. Precancerous skin lesion or actinic keratoses differ depending upon the depth, size, and location of the lesion formed. Most often, small skin cancers can be treated by performing a biopsy to remove the growth completely. For severe and cases additional treatment methods are required. Some of the common treatment options for the different types of skin cancer are as follows:
Freezing: This technique is often used to eradicate small lesions found in actinic keratoses. It is done by killing the infected cells with liquid nitrogen. The dead tissue falls off once thawed.
Excisional surgery: This procedure is followed to remove a portion of healthy skin surrounding the tumor. It is done to cure the different types of skin cancer at the early stages. A larger excisional surgery is done as a part of Mohs Surgery, which is suggested for patients with recurring skin cancers that are difficult to treat. This treatment is commonly used to treat basal and squamous cell carcinomas. While performing a Mohs surgery the doctor removes the infected skin layers in order by examining them under a microscope. This is done to eradicate cancer completely by retaining healthy skin and is commonly used to treat skin cancer in facial areas.
Cryotherapy or curettage and electrodesiccation: It is a procedure followed to scrape out multiple layers of cancer cells with a device called curet. The procedure is then completed by destroying the remaining cancer cells with an electric needle or through the freezing technique using liquid nitrogen. It is a simple procedure used to treat thin squamous cell cancer and basal cell cancer at early diagnosis.
Radiation therapy: This procedure is usually performed as adjunctive therapy to chemotherapy or surgery to eradicate cancer completely. High powered energy beams are targeted at the affected part to kill cancerous cells.
Chemotherapy: There are two types of chemotherapy for skin cancer. Patients undergo simple chemotherapy by applying skin creams and lotions with anti-cancer agents. This is commonly used to heal skin cancer at the early stages when it is limited to the top layer of the skin. Systemic chemotherapy is a procedure followed to treat severe skin cancer which has spread to different body parts. In this type, drugs are given orally and through IV to eradicate cancer cells.
Photodynamic therapy: Cancer cells are first treated with drugs to make them sensitive to light and later treated with laser light to kill them.
Biological therapy: In this procedure, the patient’s immune system is boosted to destroy cancer cells.
