What is Mohs Micrographic Surgery?
Mohs surgery is a highly specialized treatment for the total removal of skin cancer. This method differs from all other methods of treating skin cancer by the use of complete microscopic examination of all tissues removed surgically, as well as detailed mapping techniques to allow the surgeon to track and remove all of the roots and extensions of the skin cancer.
What are the Advantages of Mohs Micrographic Surgery?
By using these detailed mapping techniques with complete microscopic control, the Mohs surgeon can pinpoint areas involved with cancer that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye. Therefore, even the smallest microscopic roots of cancer can be removed. The result is: the removal of as little normal skin as possible, and the highest possibility of curing the cancer.
What is the Cure Rate?
Mohs surgery is the most accurate method for removing skin cancers, even when previous forms of treatment have failed. In previously untreated skin cancers, the cure rate with Mohs surgery is 99 percent. In previously treated cancers, where other forms of treatment offer only an 80 percent chance of success, Mohs surgery is 95 percent effective.