A combination of treatment may be used if skin cancer has spread to other parts of the body, according to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Department of Dermatology.
Continued from previous page.
The Department of Dermatology from Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of the
SingHealth group, shares on treatment for skin cancer.
Skin cancer treatment
Treatment will vary depending on the type and extent of the skin cancer. Treatment options include:
Type of treatment |
What it does |
---|
Excision surgery |
This is the most common treatment for skin cancer. A skin graft may be required after a wide excision of skin. |
Curettage and electrocautery |
The tumour is scraped off the healthy skin and the area is heated to destroy remaining cancer cells. |
Cryotherapy |
The cancer cells are frozen off with liquid nitrogen. |
Lasers |
An intense beam of light is used to destroy the cancerous growth with little damage to surrounding skin. |
Radiation |
This is used in areas difficult to treat with surgery. |
Topical chemotherapy |
A cream or liquid is applied directly to the tumour to kill the cancer cells. |
Topical immunotherapy |
Creams are applied directly on the affected area of the skin to stimulate the immune system to attack the cancer cells |
Photodynamic therapy |
This is a new form of treatment that combines oxygen, light energy and a photosensitizer to generate oxygen radicals that eliminate cancer cells. |
Moh’s micrographic surgery |
The cancerous tissue is excised, mapped and examined under the microscope until a clear margin is obtained. |
If the skin cancer spreads to other parts of the body, a combination of excision surgery, radiation and chemotherapy or immunotherapy may be used to treat it.
“Early detection and timely treatment of skin cancer can cure most non-melanoma skin cancers. However, the prognosis for thick melanoma with widespread metastasis is grave,” explains the SGH
Department of Dermatology.
How to recognise a melanoma
This ABCDE rule can help you distinguish a melanoma growth from a benign mole. According to this rule, the five signs of melanoma are:
A = Asymmetry – the growth is uneven in shape
B = Border – the border or edges are irregular
C = Colour – haphazard combination of many colours
D = Diameter – over 6 mm
E = Evolving – enlarging/changing shape of a pigmented growth
All skin cancer patients require regular follow-up after treatment to check for recurrence or spread of the cancer to other parts of the body.
It is important to seek medical advice if you notice any suspicious-looking growth or a change in an existing growth on your skin.
Did you know that there are
three types of skin cancer? Learn how to identify them.
Ref: H24