Sunbathing may get you a tan but it can be damaging to your skin.
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
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