Diagnosis and Treatment of Skin Cancer

Diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer

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Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Arise within the top layer of the skin and usually appear on the sun-exposed areas of the body, including the face, forearms, as a scaly area or bump that persists and bleeds.
• If detected and treated early , these cancers have a better than 95% cure rate.
• Methods of treatment include surgical removal, electrodessication (tissue destruction by heat), cryosurgery(tissue destruction by freezing) and radiation therapy. New methods of topical immunotherapy are emerging.

Melanoma

• Is the most deadly form of skin cancer. One person dies of melanoma every hour.
• May suddenly appear without warning, but also can develop from or near a mole.
• Can occur anywhere on the body, but are most common on the upper backs of men and women and on legs of women.
• People with fair skin, redheads and blonds, those with family history of melanoma, people who have many moles, large moles or atypical (unusual) moles are all at increased risk for developing melanoma.
• Early detection and removal is essential ; there is a direct correlation between the thickness of the melanoma and survival rates.

See Dr. Shirin for successful diagnosis and timely treatment of skin cancer.