Surgery is used in the majority of cases. Basal cell and squamous cell cancers may be treated with radiation therapy, electrodessication (heat therapy), cryosurgery (freezing the tissue), laser therapy or Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), depending on the stage of the cancer. PDT was developed at RPCI. Another specialized technique offered at RPCI is Mohs surgery (microscopically controlled surgery). Using the Mohs technique, the layer of the skin which the tumor may have invaded is removed and is checked under a microscope immediately. If the tissue is malignant, more pieces of skin will be removed and examined until the skin samples are found to be free of cancerous cells. This process is slow, but it means more normal skin near the tumor can be saved.

Click on links at left for more on the treatment options.