Q and A
Get That Mole Checked
When a skin cancer (melanoma) is discovered, most often it can be cured. Surgical removal can cure most cases of melanoma that are caught early. However, more advanced melanomas can easily become deadly. Any changing mole should be brought to the attention of a doctor promptly. Such a mole could be a deadly cancer, but in a stage where it can be cured.
Basal and squamous cell carcinomas can almost always be cured if caught early. If a skin cancer is suspected (because the mole is growing, bleeding, etc.), a skin biopsy is usually taken to confirm the diagnosis.
Removing skin cancers cures them. The usual techniques are surgical removal and Mohs micrographic surgery. Mohs surgery is an advanced technique where thin layers of tumor are removed and checked under the microscope during the operation. The process continues until the cancer is completely removed. At that point the skin is usually repaired surgically.
Mohs surgery is an outpatient technique and is performed locally in Milford by Dr. Carl Schanbacher.