If you have been diagnosed with skin cancer you might be wondering what treatment you will be receiving because, even if you have already discussed your treatment with your physician, you may still be confused by all the medical jargon that was thrown at you. It is also possible that you may not have taken in the information given to you by your doctor because of the shock following your diagnosis.
Below therefore is a brief outline of a few of the treatments that may be used when treating skin cancer.
The type of treatment you will receive will depend upon several different factors including things like your age and whether any cancer has spread beyond your skin.
Treatment might consist of surgery during which the surgeon might decide to remove the cancer itself and also some of the surrounding skin. Just how much normal skin will be removed will be dependent upon the particular form of cancer found and how deep it is. Usually an area of about one to two centimeters of skin from the surrounding area is removed.
Some forms of skin cancer can be treated by freezing using liquid nitrogen or treated with drugs like Imiquimod which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use on superficial basal cell carcinoma.
A more extensive type of surgery may be necessary where a sentinel lymph node shows cancer cells following a biopsy of a suspect area. This technique is designed to remove lymph nodes close to the cancer including affected skin and is frequently followed up with radiotherapy.
A recent development in the treatment of skin cancer is what is referred to as immunotherapy cancer vaccination although research into this particular form of treatment is still being conducted and it is not yet widely available. You may be given chemotherapy if your cancer has spread into other areas.
There is no definitive form of prevention for skin cancer but there are a variety of things that you can do to minimize your chance of developing the disease and by far and away the most important yet usually ignored is to keep your skin covered if you are out in the sun.
Every one of us, no matter what the color or type of skin you have should make use of a sunscreen with a protection factor of not less than 15. It is also a good idea to wear protective clothing and stay in the shade as much as possible, especially between 11am and 3pm when the sun's rays are stronger. By the same token, it is not advisable to make use of sunlamps and sun beds as these also give off harmful rays.
Finally, keep a check on your skin and pay particular attention to any changes in moles and lesions. If changes are seen then you should see your doctor as quickly as you can so that treatment can be given
Below therefore is a brief outline of a few of the treatments that may be used when treating skin cancer.
The type of treatment you will receive will depend upon several different factors including things like your age and whether any cancer has spread beyond your skin.
Treatment might consist of surgery during which the surgeon might decide to remove the cancer itself and also some of the surrounding skin. Just how much normal skin will be removed will be dependent upon the particular form of cancer found and how deep it is. Usually an area of about one to two centimeters of skin from the surrounding area is removed.
Some forms of skin cancer can be treated by freezing using liquid nitrogen or treated with drugs like Imiquimod which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use on superficial basal cell carcinoma.
A more extensive type of surgery may be necessary where a sentinel lymph node shows cancer cells following a biopsy of a suspect area. This technique is designed to remove lymph nodes close to the cancer including affected skin and is frequently followed up with radiotherapy.
A recent development in the treatment of skin cancer is what is referred to as immunotherapy cancer vaccination although research into this particular form of treatment is still being conducted and it is not yet widely available. You may be given chemotherapy if your cancer has spread into other areas.
There is no definitive form of prevention for skin cancer but there are a variety of things that you can do to minimize your chance of developing the disease and by far and away the most important yet usually ignored is to keep your skin covered if you are out in the sun.
Every one of us, no matter what the color or type of skin you have should make use of a sunscreen with a protection factor of not less than 15. It is also a good idea to wear protective clothing and stay in the shade as much as possible, especially between 11am and 3pm when the sun's rays are stronger. By the same token, it is not advisable to make use of sunlamps and sun beds as these also give off harmful rays.
Finally, keep a check on your skin and pay particular attention to any changes in moles and lesions. If changes are seen then you should see your doctor as quickly as you can so that treatment can be given