Editor: Dr. Bryce Cowan BSc, MSc, MD, PhD, FRCSC Biography

Mohs Micrographic Surgery as a Skin Cancer Therapy

Mohs Micrographic Surgery is an advanced treatment process for skin cancer that offers the highest possible cure rate for many skin cancers and simultaneously minimizes the sacrifice of normal tissue. This cutting-edge treatment requires highly specialized physicians that serve as surgeon, pathologist and reconstructive surgeon.

The microscopic analysis of resected tissue allows the surgeon to track the removal of the cancer and ensure the complete elimination of all tumor roots. As tumors often extend below intact normal skin (like the roots of a tree) this procedure allows the surgeon to see beyond the visible tumor to ensure its complete removal.

The technique is most often used to remove the two most common forms of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

The cure rates for Mohs Micrographic Surgery approach 99% for most primary (untreated) cancers with a slightly lower cure rate for secondary or recurrent (previously treated) cancers. While limiting the sacrifice of uninvolved tissue, this specialized procedure preserves the greatest amount of normal tissue. This benefit of the procedure provides the foundation for the best reconstructions and limits scarring or permanent disfigurement.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery remains the most effective method of removing non-melanotic skin cancer (basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, sebaceous carcinoma, Extramammary Paget's disease, Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, etc.) available anywhere in the world today.