Skin Cancer Treatment
Skin cancer treatment can prevent the spread of cancer if started at early stage. This treatment depends upon the age of the patient, the site of cancer, and the type of the skin cancer. The correct treatment can be determined by targeting the specific type of cancer. The three major types of skin cancer include- squamous cells cancer, basal cells cancer and melanoma.
Each of the three types of cancers can be treated by different methods. For example, Mohs surgery for the basal cell cancer for a young man and radiation therapy for an elder person is recommended. Topical chemotherapy also can be used for the low risk basal cells cancer.
Standard Treatment Options
- Radiation Therapy
In this method of skin cancer treatment x-rays and other radioactive rays are used to destroy the cancer cells and stops the growth of cancer cells in the skin. There are two types of radiation therapies- external radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy. In External radiation therapy, machines are used to send the radiations from the outside of body to the cancer.
Internal radiation therapy uses the substances that contain the radioactive elements. These substances are placed near to the cancer. Needles are used to place the substance into the body. The stage of the skin cancer plays an important for the use of radiation therapy.
- Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill the cancer cells and stop them from dividing. The taken by injection or by mouth directly goes into the bloodstream. The drugs reach to the cancer cells and stop their growth. The use of chemotherapy depends upon the condition of the patient and the stage of the cancer.
- Surgery
The surgical treatment is used to treat the nonmelanoma skin cancer and other high stage cancers. Moh's micrographic surgery is the effective surgical treatment for the cancer in which the tumor is removed from the skin or sometimes the layers of the tumor are cut. The tissues that are infected by the cancer cells are cut, which can be seen through the microscopic camera. This surgery is often used to treat the skin cancer on face.
The other surgeries like cryosurgery and shave excision are also used for the skin cancer treatment. In cryosurgery, the abnormal tissues are destroyed and sometimes are freeze with the help of an instrument. Shave excision includes the process of shaving off the surface of cancer.
However, the skin takes about one month to recover after the surgery. The best way to be safe from the skin cancer is to avoid to be exposed in severe sunlight. You can use sunscreen lotions and dressings that cover the parts of the body that usually are exposed.
