Skin cancer surgery usually leads to a cure in the early stages of basal cell carcinoma, spinalioma and malignant melanoma. The earlier the malignant tumors are discovered, the less extensive the surgery will be.
Read more about skin cancer surgery and find specialists for the operation here.
Specialists for skin cancer operations are surgically trained specialists for skin and sexually transmitted diseases.
The most common types of skin cancer are
They differ in their place of origin, frequency and malignancy. With early treatment, all three types of skin cancer have very good prospects of recovery.
Basazal cell carcinomas are the most common malignant skin tumors. They hardly ever form metastases. They grow slowly over years or decades.
Nevertheless, they are dangerous. They can grow deep into the skin and underlying structures (cartilage, bone). There they lead to destruction and disfigurement.
Squamous cell carcinomas are malignant tumors. In rare cases, they can spread and thus form metastases in other organs. They should therefore be treated at an early stage. The best option is usually the complete removal of the carcinoma (excision).
Malignant melanoma (black skin cancer) is a particularly malignant skin tumor. If left untreated, it spreads, forms metastases and leads to death relatively quickly.
Surgical excision (cutting out) is usually the most effective treatment method for skin cancer. In some cases, it makes sense to treat the skin tumor alternatively or additionally using
treatment. Cryosurgery (cold surgery) is also possible for early forms of spinalioma ( carcinoma in situ).
The basis for planning skin cancer therapy is the classification of the tumor. This requires
can be determined. In most cases, surgical removal of the tumor is the treatment of choice.
Skin cancer surgery can be performed on an outpatient basis and under local anesthesia.
In all three cases of skin cancer surgery (basal cell carcinoma, spinalioma, malignant melanoma), the wound can be closed after excision using
can be performed. Skin cancer surgery should primarily lead to healing, but also leave the wound as aesthetically pleasing as possible.
Uncomplicated basal cell carcinomas are excised sufficiently deep with a safety margin of approx. 5 mm.
In the case of basal cell carcinomas with unclear boundaries, a larger safety margin of around 5-10 mm may be maintained. During the procedure, the surgeons check whether the edges of the incision are free of cancer cells. If this is not the case, further tissue is removed.
Microscopically controlled surgery (MKC) is useful for basal cell carcinoma on the face or hands. This special surgical procedure for skin cancer offers a particularly high degree of treatment safety. Recurrences (new tumor formations) occur very rarely after this procedure. At the same time, MKC ensures that an unnecessarily large amount of healthy tissue is not removed.
Basal cell carcinomas can often be cured with skin cancer surgery if they are detected early © Sarawut | AdobeStock
In microscopically controlled surgery, the surgical wound is often not sutured immediately after excision. Instead, the removed marginal area of tissue is examined histologically in the laboratory in great detail. In the meantime, the surgical wound is covered with dressing material.
If there are still cancer cells in the edge area, the surgeons can cut out the open surgical wound further. The edges of the wound and the removed tissue are marked beforehand for this purpose. This allows the surgeons to precisely remove further areas where cancer cells have been discovered.
The final wound closure only takes place after confirmation that all edges of the excised tissue are tumor-free.
In principle, it is also possible to have the excision and wound closure carried out in one session. However, the exact topographical classification must be guaranteed in the event of a follow-up operation.
Excision with a safety margin is also usually indicated for malignant squamous cell carcinoma. Microscopically controlled surgery is also recommended here.
Radiation, cryosurgery or chemosurgery may be advisable. Spinalioma can spread. For this reason, the lymph nodes are examined before surgery in the case of large carcinomas. Imaging techniques are used for this purpose.
If metastases have formed, the corresponding lymph nodes are also removed. Preventive lymph node removal is not recommended due to the rarity of metastases.
In the vast majority of cases, malignant melanoma is removed surgically. In most cases, the tumor is not more than 2 mm thick. A safety margin of 1 cm is then sufficient.
For melanomas with a tumor thickness of more than 1 mm, the associated lymph node is removed. This is examined for cancer cells in the laboratory. If the lymph node is affected and in the case of particularly thick melanomas, supportive interferon or chemotherapy is necessary.
If distant metastases have already occurred, these must also be removed. Chemotherapy, chemoimmunotherapy and sometimes radiotherapy are also used.
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