The Mohs Procedure

 

Mohs surgery is the most effective and advanced treatment for skin cancer today. It offers the highest potential for cure even if the skin cancer has been previously treated by another method.

The Mohs procedure involves surgically removing skin cancer layer by layer. After this, the tissue is examined  under a microscope until healthy, cancer-free tissue around the tumor is reached (called clear margins). In addition, Mohs College surgeon is specially trained as a cancer surgeon, pathologist, and reconstructive surgeon. As a result, Mohs surgery has the highest success rate of all treatments for skin cancer – up to 99%. Dr. Kuperman is a fellowship trained Mohs surgeon. Why Choose a Fellowship Trained Mohs Surgeon?

Surgeons usually perform Mohs micrographic surgery as an outpatient procedure in their office.  In this case, an on-site surgical suite and a laboratory is used for immediate preparation and microscopic examination of tissue. Typically, surgery starts early in the morning and is completed the same day. However, this depends on the extent of the tumor and the amount of reconstruction necessary.

Local anesthesia is administered around the area of the tumor as the patient is awake during the entire procedure. The use of local anesthesia in Mohs surgery versus general anesthesia provides numerous benefits. For instance, it includes the prevention of lengthy recovery and possible side effects from general anesthesia. After the area has been numbed, Dr. Kuperman removes the visible tumor along with a thin layer of surrounding tissue. This tissue is prepared and put on slides by a technician and examined under a microscope by Dr. Kuperman. If there is evidence of cancer, another layer of tissue is taken from the area where the cancer was detected. This ensures that only cancerous tissue is removed during the procedure. Meanwhile, this minimizing the loss of healthy tissue. These steps are repeated until all samples are free of cancer. While there are always exceptions to the rule, most tumors require 1 to 3 stages for complete removal.

When the surgery is complete, Dr. Kuperman will assess the wound and discuss options for ideal functional and cosmetic reconstruction. If reconstruction is necessary, she will usually perform reconstructive surgery to repair the area the same day as the tumor removal.