Skin Cancer Excision
When a patient is diagnosed with skin cancer, the next step is to determine the best way of treating the skin cancer.
The treatment will depend on the characteristics of the skin cancer, including type of cancer, size, location, depth of skin cancer, amongst other things.
Most skin cancers will require surgery for complete removal.
What happens during skin cancer surgery?
During a skin cancer excision, your doctor will first plan the surgery. The borders of the skin cancer will be delineated, and margins drawn around the skin cancer. Basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma usually require a margin of 4 mm of normal skin around the cancer for complete clearance. Melanomas typically require 1-2 cm of normal skin margins.
After marking the surgical site, the affected area is numbed with injections of lidocaine. Your doctor will then use a scalpel to excise the marked area. Then, stitches are used to close the skin back together. Depending on the location of the surgery, stitches stay in place for 7-14 days. After the surgery, the excised piece of skin is sent to a dermatopathology lab to ensure that the skin cancer is fully excised.