What kind of surgery can be done for skin cancer

The incidence of skin cancer is significantly related to region and race. The mortality rate of male skin cancer patients is also much higher than that of female patients. During the treatment process, patients need to maintain a good lifestyle, strengthen nutrition, avoid fatigue, and adopt different treatment methods according to the severity of the disease. So, what kind of surgery can be performed for skin cancer? Let's learn more about it below!

Surgical treatment of skin cancer is the first choice for skin cancer treatment. Appropriate surgical excision is used for treatment. The scope of excision should vary with the size and depth of invasion of the tumor. For basal cell carcinoma with small, superficial and clear lesions, excision 0.5 cm away from the edge of the tumor can generally achieve the purpose of healing. For cases with large lesions and extensive invasion, excision should be made 3 to 5 cm away from the primary lesion. Frozen section examination should be performed in hospitals with conditions.
For basal cell carcinoma with negative margins, the extent of resection of the tumor base depends on the depth of lesion infiltration. For example, for superficial basal cell carcinoma occurring on the scalp, wide resection followed by skin grafting can be performed; if the periosteum is involved, the periosteum should be removed together and then a pedicled flap transplant and skin grafting repair should be performed. The extent of resection for squamous cell carcinoma is basically the same as that for basal cell carcinoma, but patients with regional lymph node metastasis should undergo lymph node dissection. During resection, a skin incision should be made 0.5 to 2 cm away from the tumor, and sufficient depth should be required to perform as extensive resection as possible. The resection of squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp, trunk, and limbs should be appropriately increased to 2 to 5 cm. For patients with confirmed regional lymph node metastasis, lymph node dissection should be performed, but preventive dissection is not necessary.
When bones or major blood vessels and nerves are involved, amputation is necessary. Electrosurgical excision is better than simple surgical excision because drying is beneficial to open wounds. Chemosurgery is more effective but time-consuming and expensive. Skin grafting should be performed for those with a large excision.