What is Mohs Micrographic Surgery for skin cancer?
Borrowed from the American College of Mohs Surgery:
Mohs micrographic surgery is the most effective and advanced treatment for skin cancer today. It offers the highest potential for cure – even if the skin cancer has been previously treated by another method.
Mohs micrographic surgery is a specialized method for the removal of skin cancer that combines surgery with microscopic margin analysis. Mohs surgery remains the gold standard in treatment for skin cancer. It offers the highest potential for cure for most skin cancers – up to a 99% success rate – even if the skin cancer has been previously treated by another method. Mohs surgery achieves this high cure rate because the cancer is removed with the highest precision while healthy skin and tissue are spared.
Mohs surgery is recommended for skin cancers that are located on cosmetically sensitive areas, such as the head, face, neck, hands, feet and genitalia and for skin cancers that have been previously treated and come back.
The surgery consists of removing a disc or “layer” of tissue that gets processed into microscope slides in the Mohs laboratory in real time for the surgeon to examine. These slides are precisely mapped, marking any residual tumor found by the surgeon. This process is repeated until no residual tumor is identified. The advantages of this process include the highest cure rates for most skin cancers, as well as the smallest amount of normal tissue damage.
For more information, click here for the American College of Mohs Surgery
What about other alternative treatments?
Some facilities are recommending superficial radiation treatment (SRT), such as ‘gentle care’. However, that treatment sees a 10-15% recurrence rates after treatment, while Mohs is significantly less at a 1-2% recurrence rate. Also, Mohs surgery can be completed in one day while radiation requires 15-30 visits! Read here for a comparison on SRT vs. Mohs..
Another is a conventional excision or excision with frozen section margins. Both treatments carry a higher recurrence rate than Mohs surgery. This is because they are not able to examine 100% of the tissue margins with these methods compared to Mohs.
Dr. Amanda Jacobs, Board Certified Dermatologist & Board Certified Mohs Micrographic Surgery
Dr. Amanda Jacobs, who joined the practice in June, is a board-certified dermatologist and board-certified in Mohs Micrographic Surgery. She obtained her medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University. She completed her residency at Mayo Clinic and completed her fellowship in procedural dermatology and Mohs surgery at the same institution. Dr. Jacobs is certified by the American Board of Dermatology.
“But I completed my biopsy at another facility?”
You do not need to wait for the Mohs micrographic procedure at the same facility as you completed your biopsy. With your insurance accepted, you can come to DuBois Dermatology and potentially have the procedure done in 3-4 weeks.
Ready to schedule your appointment?
Call to schedule your appointment now at DuBois Dermatology Mohs Surgical Office at 814-371-7546.