Skin cancer can be cured entirely, and it’s a myth that you can only control it. One such technique that eradicates skin cancer is Mohs surgery. In this surgical intervention, layers of basal and squamous carcinoma are removed gradually, until there are no more cancer cells. In this technique, the non-cancerous cells remain unaffected.
Mohs surgery can remove the roots of these cancers. Some of these cancerous cells resemble bunches of grapes, while others look like the roots of trees. Mohs surgery can eradicate these roots. Can we see the roots of basal and squamous carcinoma? No, we can’t see them with our naked eyes, but with a microscope, it is very much possible.
While examining these cells, doctors colour them with special dyes like hematoxylin, eosin or toluidine blue. When cancerous cells ( including the melanoma ones) are stained with these dyes, the former become visible. Upon becoming visible, these cells can be removed layer by layer and the cancer be treated.
During Mohs surgery, your doctor will remove a small patch of skin from the affected body part. After this procedure, the nurse will bandage you up and ask you to wait. While you are waiting, the doctor will examine the tissue under the microscope. If there are some more cancerous cells on the border, he will again remove another piece of tissue from your body. This process continues until there are no cancerous cells horizontally or vertically on your skin.
Another way to altogether remove your skin cancer is by freezing the malignant cells by liquid nitrogen. This renders these cells ineffective, and the disease won’t spread anymore. If you are willing to know more about the above two surgical techniques, you may contact cancer clinics such as SunDoctors.
Many doctors also use radiotherapy to treat skin cancer completely. In the technique, only the affected body part is exposed to radiation. Here, a narrow beam of high energy like X-rays is focused on your affected skin. These rays kill the cancerous cells completely and stop the spread of cancer. Please note that in this procedure, your healthy skin cells aren’t affected at all. Radiation therapy is completely safe and of course, 100 percent effective, provided the cancer is diagnosed early.
Radiation therapy is not just effective; it is also inexpensive and doesn’t take much of your time. It would help if you spent a couple of hours in a hospital to receive this treatment. Since this therapy is inexpensive, you may continue with it for as long as ten years.
Another way to treat cancer comprehensively is through chemotherapy. Here, the patient is given chemicals that kill the cancerous cells inside the body. Many skin cancer patients are treated with chemotherapy by oncologists.
Doctors also use immune-boosting therapies to cure cancer completely. Here, they give certain vaccines like interferon to the patients, which boost the natural immune systems of the patients. Once boosted, these immune systems battle the cancerous cells on their own and completely cure this disease.
We’ve seen that skin cancer can be cured entirely. However, this can be done only if the disease can be diagnosed very early. Some skin cancers like basal and squamous carcinoma can be diagnosed easily. The third carcinoma, melanoma, is difficult to detect and is also very dangerous. Please check your doctor if you think you have skin cancer.
You can also avoid this disease by taking a few simple precautions. Don’t work or move around too much in the sun. Cover up yourself with a towel, etc. to stop UV rays from damaging your skin. Also, avoid skin tanning.
