destroy the growth completely with as little damage as possible to healthy tissue. Doctors evaluate numerous factors in planning treatment. Considerations include type of cancer, tumor size and location, extent of disease, whether it’s new or recurrent, potential for scarring, and the patient’s overall health. Types of surgery include cryosurgery (destruction by freezing), laser surgery, and cuttrettage and electrodessication (using a spoon-like blade to scoop out the growth, followed by destruction of surrounding tissue with electric shock). Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. In treating skin cancer, chemotherapy is often given as a cream or lotion placed on the skin to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may also be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy given in this way is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the skin. Biological therapy tries to get the body to fight cancer on its own. It uses materials made in the body or in a laboratory to boost, direct, or restore the body’s natural defenses against disease. Even after successful treatment, people who have had skin cancer remain at increased risk of developing it again. Protecting their skin from UV exposure is critical in helping to prevent a recurrence. It should become a life-long habit. ...
