• Breast Augmentation
• Breast Lift/Mastopexy
• Breast Reduction
• Breast Reconstruction
• Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck
• Liposuction
• Thigh Lift
• Rhinoplasty/Nose Reshaping
• Face Lift
• Brow Lift
• Eyelid Surgery
• Otoplasty/Ear Reshaping
• Chin Augmentation
• Scar Revision
• Botox®
• Hyperhidrosis Treatment
• Restylane®
• Juvederm™
• Skin Cancer Treatment
• Treatment of Facial Injuries
• Surgery of the Hand

Skin Cancer Treatment

Skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. The three most common types of skin cancer are Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) and Malignant Melanoma. They make up more than 50% of all cancers diagnosed each year. Skin cancer varies greatly in its presentation and its biologic behavior.

There are a number of risk factors that when present make it much more likely for a person to be diagnosed with skin cancer. These risk factors can be divided into two groups: host factors and environmental factors. Host factors include skin type, genetic syndromes, predisposing lesions, and immunologic factors. Environmental factors include ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation, and certain chemical exposures.

The most important thing one can do to protect against getting skin cancer is to prevent one’s exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. How well a substance prevents this exposure determines it’s SPF (Sun Protection Factor). Prevention falls into three main categories: sunscreens, clothing, and education.
Frequently, a biopsy is performed to determine the presence of skin cancer. A biopsy is a medical procedure where a small portion of tissue is safely removed from a lesion. This tissue is then further examined by a pathologist under a microscope. There are four different types of biopsies: shave, punch, incisional and excisional.

Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is by far the most common skin cancer. Roughly 1,000,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. BCC occurs most commonly on the sun exposed areas of the head, neck and shoulders. It is much more common in light-skinned individuals, and it is extremely rare for BCC to metastasize or spread to another part of the body. The four clinical variants of BCC are superficial, nodular, pigmented, and morpheaform/sclerosing.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common skin cancer with approximately 250,000 new cases each year. SCC rarely arises in normal skin. Most often is occurs in areas of sun damage, scars, radiation injury, and chronic wounds. SCC has a moderately higher incidence of metastasis ranging from 2-20%. SCC grows much faster than BCC, and has an even stronger correlation with exposure to ultraviolet radiation. All SCC are similar histologically, and are categorized based on the level of differentiation.

The third most common type of skin cancer is Melanoma. There were roughly 70,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States in 2009. Unlike BCC and SCC, Melanoma has a much higher rate of spreading to other parts of the body. According to the American Cancer Society, a little more than 5000 deaths occurred in 2009 because of melanoma. This represents more than 80% of all deaths related to skin cancer.

The treatment of skin cancer can be divided into three broad categories: medical, destructive, and surgical. The most appropriate treatment for a given skin cancer is determined by the type and size of the cancer, the cancer stage, and the location of the lesion. Medical therapy includes topical medications, chemotherapy, and radiation. Two commonly used medications utilized to treat some pre-cancerous and malignant lesions are imiquimod and 5-fluorouracil. The most frequently used destructive means are electrodessication and curettage (EDC), cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen, and CO2 laser. The goal of surgical treatment is to remove the skin cancer in its entirety with clear margins of normal tissue. After a skin cancer is removed by surgery, it is sometimes necessary to reconstruct the defect with skin grafts, or skin flaps.

There are a number of helpful websites that provide useful information in regards to skin cancer. Two particularly informative sites are www.skincancer.org and www.cancer.gov.