Friday, June 26, 2009

Do You Know Your Skin Cancer Treatment Options?

By Kathy Forcey

The stage of cancer that you have will determine which of the many skin cancer treatments are available for you. Each person's medical condition and their ability to withstand treatment will decide which procedure is best for them. With skin cancer, do not put off going to the doctor. By discovering it early and beginning treatment you will be extending your chance of surviving because these treatments have an extremely high success rate.

Different options for the treatment for basal cell carcinoma exists. One treatment is 'Mohs Micrographic surgery' which helps in removing the cancer without removing the surrounding tissue which is healthy. With this procedure, successive layers of cancerous tissue is removed and examined..

Whn the doctor continues to see cancer cells during the examination he will continue to remove the thin layers. This will allow the doctor to stop when the normal tissue is all that is left. A normal incision can also be used to remove the skin cancer, however, some of the normal tissue will be removed along with it.

Cryosurgery can be used to freeze the skin cancer cells and kill them. The use of a laser to focus light that will kill the skin cancer cells. Radiation therapy may also be used for the treatment of skin cancer. The x-ray will be used to shrink and kill the skin cancer tumors. A lotion that uses chemotherapy can also be used topically to treat skin cancer. The chemotherapy will kill the skin cancer cells when the lotion is applied on the affected area.

If you are a patient dealing with skin cancer you and your doctor should discuss treatment options that are available based on your individual case. Always remember to ask questions about the side effects and success rates of each available treatment.

You will need to have all of the information so that you can make an informed decision. Skin cancer must be treated so that it does not begin to spread to other parts of the body. If you have been lucky enough to catch it early you will have a great many more options available to you than if you are in a later stage of skin cancer.

If you conduct self examination of your skin once in a month, it is possible to detect any changes in your skin that may warrant medical attention. In order to treat skin cancer effectively and remove it from your life, it is essential for you to diagnose skin cancer early.

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