The Surgery With the Best Cure Rate for Most Skin Cancers
- Posted on: Sep 30 2022
One treatment that has recently been considered to be the “gold standard” in skin cancer treatment, Mohs surgery, is a procedure developed as the result of a laboratory accident. During a study in the 1930s of cancers and healthy tissues in rats, Dr. Fredric Mohr inadvertently injected a strong solution of zinc chloride into the study tissue.
This discovery of a way to instantly see if cancerous cells exist developed into a procedure that allows real-time examination of excised layers of cancerous skin to clear all but healthy tissue. Dr. Mohr first realized the full potential during the removal of an eyelid carcinoma. Seeing the results, he then selected it as the treatment procedure for 66 eyelid carcinomas in 1969, with an astonishing 100% 5-year cure rate.
Over time, additional studies and trials have taken place that made Mohr surgery a primary choice for treatment of basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma elsewhere on the body. Since it tends to be less invasive and lead to less scarring than the also proven fixed tissue technique, Mohs surgery is often selected for removal of these carcinomas from functional areas of the face, eyelids, ears, scalp, fingers, toes, or genitals. It is also highly effective for tumor removal in certain cases of melanoma.
While Mohs surgery provides a very high chance of a full recovery from skin cancer, prevention is still the safest option. Adequate use of proper sunscreen or sunblock and avoiding sun damage with clothing, will help prevent melanoma from growing in the first place.
If you are suffering from basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma and want to hear more about Mohs surgery as a potential treatment option, contact the ENT and Allergy Centers of Texas at 972-984-1050 or visit www.enttx.com to schedule an appointment at one of our 6 locations in the Plano area.
Posted in: Skin Cancer
