The surgical removal of skin cancer (excision) with a safety margin is the gold standard and thus the method of first choice for all forms of skin cancer.
- Basal cell carcinoma: The basal cell carcinoma is surgically removed with a safety margin of a few millimeters. In the face, this excision of the skin cancer is performed in a tissue-saving manner (microsurgery).
If inoperable, the patient receives radiation (radiotherapy). In one form, namely superficial basal cell carcinoma, cryotherapy (icing), electrocautery (burning) or the drugs imiquimod (modulation of the immune system, local application) and 5-fluoracil (cytostatic drug) are also used to treat skin cancer.
- Spinalioma: Like basaliomas, spinaliomas are also surgically removed with a safe distance and possibly microsurgically. If lymph node metastases are present, the affected lymph nodes are also removed and radiation (radiotherapy) is initiated.
If metastases of the skin cancer already exist or the patient cannot be operated on, the therapy of choice is chemotherapy. In addition, the patient should come for follow-up every 6 months after the end of therapy in order to detect recurrences or new formations of skin cancer at an early stage.
Regular check-ups are also important for this type of skin cancer. These are carried out only every 3 months, and every 6 months in the course of the disease, in order to detect recurrent or newly formed skin cancer early.
- Malignant melanoma: Excision is also used to treat malignant melanoma. Here, the safety distance depends on the thickness of the tumor (1 to 3 cm). If lymph node involvement is suspected, the first lymph node of the drainage area is examined for metastases of the skin cancer (sentinel lymph node biopsy).
If lymph nodes are affected, they are also removed. In this case, chemotherapy (with dacarbazine) and immunotherapy (with interferon) are started. In the case of distant metastasis, only palliative treatment is used, i.e. to relieve symptoms.
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