Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Skin Cancer Treatment Options - What Are They?

By William Wallace

Cancer treatments often vary depending on how far the disease has progressed and what type of cancer you have been diagnosed with. Your doctor will base the decision on your medical history and how good your physical health is in the present. The treatment for skin cancer has a healthy success rate and there are greater chances survival if you realize its symptoms early and start the treatment without any delay. You should not assume the reasons yourself instead it is always wise to consult your doctor.

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..

During the examination, if the doctor finds cancer cells he starts removing the thin layers continuously. Once the doctor finds that only normal tissue is left, he stops removal of further layers. Alternately, the doctor might use a normal incision to remove the skin cancer; however, in this case he might also remove some of the normal tissue 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.

To make a decision about skin cancer treatment, you should have all the pertinent information available to make a wise choice. Treating it early will keep it from spreading to other parts of your body. If you wait until the later stages of skin cancer, your options for treatment will be much less than if you had started earlier.

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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