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Treatment for skin cancer depends on the type and stage of disease, age and general health.

The patient may receive treatment that is considered standard based on the results obtained by several patients in past studies, or may choose to participate in a clinical trial. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired.

For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the latest information. They are conducting clinical trials in some parts of the country for patients with skin cancer.

BASAL CELL CARCINOMA OF THE SKIN

The patient may be one of the following treatments:

1. Micrographic surgery. Where the cancer is removed and the least amount of normal tissue as possible. During the process, the doctor removes the cancer and then uses a microscope to analyze the area of surgery and ensure that it is not any cancer cells.
2. Surgery that removes the skin cancer and some surrounding healthy tissue.
3. Electrodesiccation and curettage. Operation in which electrical current is used to dehydrate the tumor (electrodesiccation), and then used a specialized instrument called a curette, to remove the tumor.
4. Cryosurgery. Surgery that involves freeze and kill cancer.
5. Radiotherapy.
6. Laser therapy. This procedure uses a highly concentrated beam of light that destroys only cancer cells.
7. Topical chemotherapy.
8. Clinical trials of chemoprevention.
9. Clinical trials of biological therapy.
10. Photodynamic therapy technique that uses photosensitive drugs to kill cancer.

It is important to have regular skin examinations so that cancer can be treated if they were to come back (recurred).

SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE SKIN

The patient may be one of the following treatments:

1. Micrographic surgery. Where the cancer is removed and the least amount of normal tissue as possible. During the process, the doctor removes the cancer and then uses a microscope to analyze the area of surgery and ensure that it is not any cancer cells.
2. Surgery that removes the skin cancer and some surrounding healthy tissue.
3. Electrodesiccation and curettage. Operation in which electrical current is used to dehydrate the tumor (electrodesiccation), and then used a specialized instrument called a curette, to remove the tumor.
4. Cryosurgery. Surgery that involves freeze and kill cancer.
5. Radiotherapy.
6. Topical chemotherapy.
7. Laser therapy. This procedure uses a highly concentrated beam of light that destroys only cancer cells.
8. Clinical trials of biological therapy with or without chemoprevention therapy is important to have regular skin examinations so that cancer can be treated if they were to come back (recurred).

ACTINIC KERATOSISI

The patient may be one of the following treatments:

1. Topical chemotherapy
2. Cryosurgery. Surgery that involves freeze and kill cancer.
3. Electrodesiccation and curettage. Operation in which electrical current is used to dehydrate the tumor (electrodesiccation), and then used a specialized instrument called a curette, to remove the tumor.
4. Removing the outer layer of skin with a special machine (dermabrasion).
5. Scrape the outer layer of skin (excision of scratch).
6. Laser therapy. This procedure uses a highly concentrated beam of light that destroys only cancer cells.

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Once cancer of the skin, further testing to determine if cancer has spread. This is called staging. The doctor needs to know the stage and type of skin cancer to plan treatment. The following stages are used for classification of treatment.

• Basal cell cancer: The basal cell cancer is the most common type of skin cancer melanoma. It usually occurs in skin areas that have been exposed to the sun. Often this cancer appears as a bump with a smooth appearance and pearl. Another type of this cancer has an appearance of scars, and is firm to touch. Basal cell cancers can spread to tissues around the cancer, but usually do not spread to other body parts.
• Squamous cell carcinoma: The squamous cell tumors also occur in skin areas that have been exposed to the sun, often on top of the nose, forehead, lower lip and hands. They may also appear on skin areas that have been burned, have been exposed to chemicals or radiation therapy. Usually this cancer appears as a bulge red and hard. Sometimes the tumor may have a scaly appearance, or may bleed or develop a crust. Squamous cell tumors can spread to the lymph nodes in the area (lymph nodes are small structures in the form of beans that are found throughout the body, whose function is to produce and store cells that fight infection).
• Actinic keratosis: Actinic keratosis is a non-cancerous disorder of the skin but some people may become basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer. It appears on the skin as rough, scaly patches, red or brown, usually in areas that have been exposed to the sun
• Recurrent: Recurrent disease means the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated.

Treatment of skin cancer

There are treatments for all patients with skin cancer. Uses three kinds of treatments:

1. Surgery (removing the cancer).
2. Chemotherapy (using drugs to kill cancer cells).
3. Radiation therapy (using x-rays to kill cancer cells).

Several skin cancers are treated by physicians specializing in skin diseases (dermatologist). Usually the cancer can be treated in a doctor.

Surgery is the most common treatment for skin cancer. The doctor may remove the cancer using one of the following methods:

• Electrodesiccation and curettage, operation in which electrical current is used to dehydrate the tumor (electrodesiccation), and then used a specialized instrument called a curette, to remove the tumor.
• Cryosurgery, operation in which freezes and destroys the tumor.
• Excision simple operation in which removes the skin cancer along with some healthy tissue located around it.
• Micrographic surgery, an operation that takes out the cancer and as little normal tissue as possible. During this surgery, the doctor removes the cancer and then uses a microscope to analyze the cancerous area to make sure that it is not any cancer cells.
• Laser therapy, in this procedure uses a highly concentrated beam of light that destroys only cancer cells.

The surgery may leave a scar on the skin. Depending on the size of the cancer, you can take skin from another part of the body to be in the area where you removed the cancer. This is called a skin graft. There are new surgical methods or through the graft which can reduce scarring.

Radiotherapy is the use of X-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy for skin cancer came from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy).

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. The chemotherapy is often administered via a cream or lotion applied to the skin to kill cancer cells (topical chemotherapy). Chemotherapy may also be based pills, or you can enter the body through a needle into a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy given in this way is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body and can kill cancer cells outside the skin. Systemic chemotherapy is being evaluated in clinical trials.

The purpose of biologic therapy is to treat the very body that fight cancer. In biological therapy used substances produced by the body or made in a laboratory to boost, direct or restore the body’s natural defenses against disease. Biological therapy therapy is known as biological response modifier or immunotherapy (BRM).

In photodynamic therapy uses a certain type of light and special chemicals to kill cancer cells.

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