Mohs Surgery
Mohs surgery is a specialized surgical technique that is used to remove skin cancer by stepwise removing skin in thin, concentric layers and examining each layer under a microscope to ensure no cancer cells remain. This meticulous process allows the elimination of the cancerous tissue completely and also preserving the maximum amount of healthy surrounding skin, making it ideal for cancers in cosmetically or functionally sensitive areas like the face, hands, and genitals. After each layer is checked, if cancer cells are found, another layer is removed only from that specific area and examined again, continuing until all cancerous cells are gone.
The procedure:
➔Removal: The surgeon first removes the visible tumor along with a thin layer of surrounding tissue.
➔Mapping: Markings are made on the removed tissue to show its orientation, which leads to the precise location of any cancer cells.
➔Microscopic examination: The tissue is frozen, sectioned, and examined under a microscope for cancer cells.
➔Repeat removal: If cancer cells are found, the surgeon removes another thin layer of tissue, but only from the precise area indicated by the map.
➔Completion: This process is repeated until the microscopic examination confirms that all cancerous cells have been totally removed.
Advantages:
It offers a high cure rate, particularly for skin cancers that have a high risk of recurrence.
It minimizes the removal of healthy tissue, which is crucial for preserving appearance and function in sensitive areas located around the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet, and genitals.
It’s suitable for cancers with indistinct edges, or those that are large or grow quickly
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