Cutaneous (Skin) Cancer Treatment Options

There are several options for treating skin cancer, and the treatments are highly successful in most patients. Once your care team has the results of your diagnostic tests and has assigned a stage to your cancer, our specialists from both Brigham and Women’s and Dana-Farber — including radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists and medical oncologists — will work with you and your family to develop a personalized treatment plan that works for you.

Throughout your treatment, we want you to feel like you’re an active participant in your care. Please talk with your care team about your treatment goals and always feel free to ask questions during your appointments. Your care team works at both the Brigham and Women’s and Dana-Farber campuses in Boston. You may have appointments at either hospital, but we conveniently located right around the corner from one another for easy access and care coordination.

Your treatment options will be based on your health history and the stage of your cancer. You may have one or more of the treatment options listed below.

Surgical Treatment Options

All surgery is performed by BWH’s dermatologic surgeons and surgical oncologists, who use the most advanced technology available. Our team of dermatologists, plastic surgeons, cutaneous oncologists, micrographic surgeons and dermatologic oncologists have decades of experience caring for patients with skin cancer.

In many cases, surgery may be the only treatment needed for skin cancer. There are several options for surgical treatment. The specific surgery your care team recommends will depend on several factors, including the type of skin cancer you have, as well as its location and size.

Options include:

• Mohs surgery. This is a type of surgery in which the skin cancer is removed and examined under a microscope to make sure the entire lesion has been removed. If all the cancer is not removed with the first incision, the surgeon takes more tissue until all the cancer has been removed. Mohs surgery has a 99% cure rate for most basal and squamous cell skin cancers, and also has a high cure rate for other forms of skin cancer.
• Excision: This procedure involves using a scalpel or small blade to remove the cancer and a small area of tissue around the cancer.
• Curettage and electrodessication: During this procedure, the tumor is removed by scraping it with a long, thin tool called a curette. The area is then treated with an electric needle to remove any remaining cancer cells.
• This procedure removes the cancer by freezing it with a very cold substance.

If you have any questions about your surgery, talk with your health care team. They can help you know what to expect before, during and after your surgery.

Non-Surgical Treatment Options

Skin-Directed Therapies

We use several types of skin-directed therapies to treat skin cancer, including different types of topical creams. Our team also uses intralesional chemotherapy for certain types of skin cancers, including squamous cell and some lymphomas. During this procedure, the doctor injects each tumor with chemotherapy, killing the cancer cells.

Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy uses a sensitizing drug and a special light to kill cancer cells. The drug is put onto the skin, where it is inactive until it is exposed to light. Once exposed to light, it becomes active and kills the cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy kills cancer cells while causing little damage to healthy tissue.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to shrink and kill cancer cells. The most common types of radiation used for skin cancer are superficial radiation therapy and electron beam radiation because they only treat the skin.

The Department of Radiation Oncology has two separate units, one at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the other at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, staffed by providers who work at both locations. If your treatment includes radiation therapy, your health care team will decide with you which is the right location for you.

Learn more about radiation therapy for skin cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, or chemo, uses medicine to shrink and kill cancer cells. It is sometimes used in combination with surgery to treat skin cancer. Your health care provider can give you more information about which chemo you’re receiving.

Learn more about chemotherapy for skin cancer.

Clinical Trials

Patients with skin cancer may also be eligible to participate in clinical trials at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center. As leading researchers, the team has more than 20 actively recruiting trials across all clinical trial phases and spanning all types of skin cancers.

Clinical trials study the effectiveness of new cancer treatments and may offer benefits to patients with different types of skin cancer. Previous clinical studies have resulted in a variety of new treatments that have helped to advance the field of cancer medicine. Ask your health care team if this may be an option for you.