TREATMENT

MOHS SURGERY

(MAAS SUR-JR-EE)

WHAT IS MOHS SURGERY?

Mohs surgery (also known as Mohs Micrographic Surgery) is a surgical procedure that removes the skin cancer little by little in layers until the cancer no longer remains.

The goal is to remove any cancer and leave as much healthy tissue as possible behind.

It can be especially useful for skin cancers that:

– Are at a high risk of recurring or that may have recurred from a previous treatment.
– Are located in areas where preserving as much healthy tissue as possible is important. This can include around the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet, and genitals.
– Have borders that are hard to define.
– Are large and or aggressive.

WHY IS IT USED?

This treatment is often used to treat different types of skin cancers such as:

– Basal cell carcinoma
– Squamous cell carcinoma
– Types of Melanoma
– Rare types of skin cancer

As well as treat tumors that:

– Are located in delicate areas where surrounding tissues need to be preserved such as eyelids, ears, nose, lips, genitals, fingers, and toes.
– Larger in size (in order to minimize the scar size)
– Recurrent tumors or tumors that are at a high risk of returning
– Are located in areas that have had previous radiation
– Are rapidly growing
– People who are immunosuppression
– With poorly defined edges and margins.